


Talk on Corners

by pusa_is_me (kimpotato)



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Friendship/Love, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:47:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 29,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28009446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimpotato/pseuds/pusa_is_me
Summary: Contrary to popular belief, Neji was, in fact, not Tenten's first crush.
Relationships: Hyuuga Neji/Tenten
Comments: 72
Kudos: 145





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> An old series about an old ship from an old site. Written circa 2010.

_Contrary to popular belief, Neji was, in fact, not Tenten's first crush._

_Oh, but she got there._

_Eventually._

i.

Tenten first laid eyes on the future Hyuuga prodigy on their first day in the Academy. He still had a father back then, and so appeared less bitter about life in general. Tenten, however, had already read a spark of anger, of sadness, behind Neji’s gray, almost lavender, eyes.

_(She would later find out, much, much later, that it was because of the cursed mark forced upon his forehead.)_

ii.

The young genius-in-the-making did not really leave an impression on the young girl. On the contrary, she completely forgot about him and his sad eyes until news spread of his father’s death, a few weeks after the opening of classes.

The next time Tenten saw the young Hyuuga, his eyes reflected only anger and resentment.

_(For the Hyuuga clan, she found out a few days after their genin team was formed)._

iii.

He finally left an impression on her.

_(It wasn’t a very good one, though.)_

iv.

Since then, Tenten was almost always aware of his presence whenever he was around, but not because she felt _something_ for him. Or if she did, it was only a mild curiosity, coupled with a tinge of pity, because he seemed so _alone._

_(Later, when she mentioned this to him in passing, while they were on their way home from one of their easier missions, Neji stopped dead on his tracks, looked at her with cold, cold eyes, and said not a single word to her until they reached the village gates. Lee explained, much later, that Neji wasn’t exactly angry with her; it just didn’t sit well with him that anyone, not even Tenten, should pity him. He was a Hyuuga after all, and Hyuugas were a prideful people.)_

v.

She was a late bloomer, having her first crush months after she had graduated from the Academy, while girls her age (and even those who were younger) were already proclaiming their undying love and affection for various good-looking (and not-so-good-looking) shinobi in their village. When she finally felt those weird, infamous butterflies in her stomach (it wasn’t entirely pleasant and she wanted to get rid of them at first), it wasn’t for the genius in her team.

Heck, Neji wasn’t even in the running then.

 _(When Tenten accidentally told Neji about this, years after they’d received their Jounin status, the Hyuuga gentle-fisted the unfortunate guy so hard during their next sparring session he had to be brought to the hospital to get his ribs checked. Which, on hindsight, probably was a well-calculated move, because said guy spent the rest of the afternoon being cared for by the_ beautiful flower Sakura-san _!)_

vi.

Who was Tenten’s first crush?

Why, it was Rock Lee, of course.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 preview:
> 
> She blamed it all on Maito Gai.  
> On him, and his impossibly hard-to-master lotus technique.  
> Which Rock Lee managed to perfect in one session.


	2. Rock Lee

_She blamed it all on Maito Gai._

_On him, and his impossibly hard-to-master lotus technique._

_Which Rock Lee managed to perfect in one session._

i.

“Yes! I finally mastered it!”

Both she and Neji stared in disbelief as Lee made a perfect lotus, right before their very eyes. It took him about ten tries—the first one almost broke his neck, had Gai not stopped him in midair—and now he’s already mastered it, he who cannot perform a ninjutsu as simple as kage bunshin.

“Did he really just do that?” Tenten whispered incredulously, watching from the corner of her eyes as Neji frowned in between puffs of air.

Tenten continued to observed her teammate as he pumped his tired fist up, while their sensei tried to get his attention, tried to tell him the danger of using that technique.

For a fraction of a second, Tenten felt something weird creeping up her chest. At first, she thought it was envy—how could Lee be so good at something as complicated as _that,_ when all she could do was throw weapons?

Much later, as she walked the far distance from their training grounds to her home, something clicked in her head.

_Lee is awesome._

_(She still thinks the same, even up to now, minus the peculiar infatuation, of course.)_

ii.

As she spent the next two weeks observing Lee closely, she noticed several things about him.

First, his bushy eyebrows and impossibly round eyes were indeed unattractive, or at least in comparison to Neji’s gray ones. But they were always filled with enthusiasm, with endless hope, with an inexplicable optimism, that their Hyuuga teammate severely lacked.

Second, his undying devotion to their sensei, although usually over the top, was like the innocent admiration a little boy has for his father. Tenten’s heart broke at the thought that, just like how she admired Tsunade-sama and looked up to her as a substitute to a mother she had never known, Lee was looking for a father figure, too. And in the back of her mind, she wondered who it was that Neji looked up to, ever since his father died. It was obviously not his uncle, nor any other Hyuuga male, for that matter. She then realized that her heart broke for him as well.

Lastly, the green spandex was a big turn-off. Still, she was grateful for Lee, because otherwise, Gai would have forced her and Neji to wear them.

_(The green spandex never ceased to be a great turn-off, even when Lee covered it with the Chunnin vest. Especially since his resemblance to Gai only became more apparent with their matching uniforms.)_

iii.

She found out about his admiration for the _lovely Sakura-san!_ during the Chunnin exams.

It didn’t really sit well with her.

 _(She reasons out, to this day, that it was not because she was_ jealous— _because a crush is a crush and not something to get worked up about—but because Sakura was not, and would never be, good for her friend. She was_ _still impossibly in love with the Uchiha missing nin, even after all these years. How could a simple taijutsu master compete with something like_ that— _a prodigy from what used to be one of the most powerful clans in their village?_

_Besides, Sakura could punch as hard as Lee—even harder.)_

iv.

When she found out that Lee had lost to Gaara—more like, beaten up and left for half-dead—her heart constricted to such a degree that she thought it would shrivel up and die. She had just been defeated by Temari, Gaara’s sister, and now Lee? Were they fated—pardon for using Neji’s favorite word—to lose to these visiting Sand genins?

The only thing that gave her hope of redemption was when she found out that Neji had won in his match. Perhaps he’ll meet Gaara, or even Temari, during the finals, and _avenge_ them.

Not that Neji cared for her or Lee enough to do that. But still, it was a nice enough thought to make her calm down.

Until she found out who Neji had _beaten up._

 _(She only asked him about the match once. This was weeks after the failed Sasuke retrieval mission, during one of their sparring sessions. Neji paused, looked away, and just when Tenten thought she had offended him, he turned to look at her, and saw him smile,_ really _smile, for the first time ever since they’d become teammates._

_“_ _I’ve always thought that I’m fated to be caged forever.” He paused. “Naruto taught me otherwise.” Turning away, he continued, “Hinata-sama—I tried to ask for her forgiveness for what I did. She said . . . there was nothing to forgive.” And Neji smiled so peacefully then, that Tenten couldn’t help but smile back.)_

v.

Sakura found her in Team Gai’s usual training area the day Neji and Lee left for the Sasuke retrieval mission.

The mission they took without informing her.

She was currently throwing kunai after kunai at her favorite target board. When Sakura called out her name, she whipped around, and out of pure reflex, threw a kunai at her direction.

The younger kunoichi gave a loud yelp and fell down the ground with a thud.

They weren’t friends yet at that time. They wouldn’t be friends for a very long time after that.

“What are you doing here?” she asked coldly. She wasn’t usually so unaccommodating. But with two of her closest friends risking their lives for a shinobi who had voluntarily left the village, Tenten did not feel the need to be congenial in the least.

“T-tenten-san,” the pink-haired genin started, tears still in her eyes. “I was just . . .”

“I want you to leave.”

Tenten watched as Sakura started crying. She repeated her words. “I want you to leave,” she said, more firmly this time. “Before I say anything to you that I’ll later regret.”

“I’m . . . I’m sorry,” Sakura whispered, wiped her tears away, and slowly stood up. “I just . . .”

“Sakura," Tenten said, trying her best to control the anger in her voice. “The two most important people in my life are out on a dangerous mission right now because of Sasuke. I’m not really in the mood to be nice right now. Especially not to you.”

She was being selfish, that much she knew. It wasn’t as if it was Sakura’s fault that Sasuke had left. And if there was someone who was suffering the most, it was probably the pink-haired kunoichi. Besides, Lee and Neji were shinobi. Dangerous missions were part of their daily lives. Still. All she could think of at that very moment was that her boys might not come back to her alive.

“But . . .”

“Lee just got out of a life-threatening operation, and he’s risking his life again because he doesn’t want to see _you_ cry,” and she regretted it the second she said it, especially since Sakura was crying even harder now, and _she_ was crying as hard as Sakura was, even harder.

Would Lee risk his life for her, like he did for Sakura? Would anyone do?

“Tenten-san, I’m so sorry.”

“Please leave, Sakura.”

By the time Sakura did leave, Tenten found out she could not hit a target, not even if her life had depended on it.

 _(When they_ did _become friends, Sakura tried to apologize to her once again. Tenten told her that it was all in the past, and then kidded that had Lee or Neji died because of the mission, she would have made sure that Sakura lived with it for the rest of her life. Sakura laughed nervously, and Tenten grinned in return._

_She was only half-joking then.)_

vi.

When the chaos had finally subsided, and everything was back to normal (almost), and she had half-beaten both Neji and Lee with words for leaving without telling her and _you think I would not be worried? I thought we were friends!,_ Tenten found herself sitting on a tree root one day, watching as Gai requested Lee for a break, while the younger shinobi reminded their sensei that _youth never waits!_

And Tenten felt something click in her head (and perhaps her heart) once more.

_Lee is really awesome._

_(She realized, there and then, that she no longer liked Lee anymore._

_At least, not in_ that _way.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 preview:
> 
> At the end of the day, Tenten was just like any other normal girl.  
> She, too, found Uchiha Sasuke cute.  
> Fortunately, it ended there.


	3. Uchiha Sasuke

_At the end of the day, Tenten was just like any other normal girl._

_She, too, found Uchiha Sasuke cute._

_Fortunately, it ended there._

i.

The first time Tenten saw Uchiha Sasuke, she was currently trying her best not to throw a kunai at the stuck-up shinobi in their way. She and her teammates had agreed to lay low, to conceal their true strength, in order to maintain an advantage over the other examinees. So they pretended to not know the illusion caused by the genjutsu (at least, she was sure she and Neji knew it was a genjutsu; she couldn’t speak for Lee though), and allowed the bully shinobi to hit her squarely in the face.

When Neji and the Uchiha survivor had _that_ staredown after the little fiasco, she almost rolled her eyes. _These self-absorbed prodigies,_ she wanted to call out, but worried that Neji would shoot her one of his infamous glares. So she kept quiet, and merely stared at the younger genin bold enough to meet her genius teammate in the eye.

And that’s when she noticed something—something that made her blush and realize that although she has a silly crush on odd little Lee, she was a normal teenage girl after all.

_He’s cute._

_(Years after that first encounter, Tenten would still concede to her earlier belief that the Uchiha was indeed attractive. His onyx black eyes were a stark contrast to Neji’s pale gray ones, his spiky blue-black hair the complete opposite of Neji’s long, dark brown hair. Both men, for her, were handsome in their own right; it was just that the Uchiha was favored by more girls near his age. Neji’s beauty, so to speak, took time getting used to; she realized that the more you get to know him, the more you come to appreciate his physical attributes. In the end, she decided that no matter how impossibly good-looking Sasuke was, she still liked Neji’s elegant-yet-cold look better.)_

ii.

The second time Tenten saw Sasuke, he was knocked out unconscious in the Forest of Death, with Lee sprawled out a few feet away. She wasn’t at all concerned for Sasuke’s well-being, not when her teammate lay very still, all beaten up.

She only noticed him when Neji suddenly told the Sound Nins that fighting them himself was unnecessary.

Her first thought was that this was not the same guy Neji had spoken to (more like, tried to intimidate) earlier. There was a different aura surrounding him, almost menacing.

Tenten realized she did not like it one bit.

Only when the Sakura girl stopped him from going all out, courtesy of a meaningful hug, did Sasuke’s appearance change back to normal, and the dangerous aura around him disappeared.

Tenten immediately decided that she didn’t care for his good looks after all.

_(She also realized that among everyone who had an impact on the Uchiha’s life, Sakura was one of those who affected him the most. That alone ruins the chance of other girls who would try to vie for Sasuke’s love and attention.)_

iii.

During the final round of the Chunnin Exams, Sasuke was slated to fight Gaara, the genin who almost killed Lee.

Although she found Sasuke’s chakra in the Forest of Death unsettling, she couldn’t help but root for him during the match. He was a Leaf shinobi after all; plus, he was fighting the guy who beat the crap out of her friend. What she wouldn’t give to see his stoic, creepy face beaten to a bloody pulp by someone from her village.

For a while, she thought she was going to get her wish.

Then all hell broke loose.

_(Today, if anyone would ask her who she’d root for in a fight between Sasuke and Gaara, Tenten would answer “Gaara, of course!”_

_But that’s a story for another day.)_

iv.

She realized she hated him for leaving the village and endangering the lives of her two friends.

_(This hatred soon changed to pity—sympathy for a guy who clung onto hate when there was so much love to go around._

_One time, she tried to explain to her teammates what she thought was Sasuke’s dilemma. She ended having a heated argument with Lee, and scaring the living daylights of the other customers in the restaurant they were in. Friendship won over a clashing of views in the end, plus she was graced with one of Neji’s rare smiles and a reassurance that, unlike Sasuke, they will never run out of people who love them._

_They had each other, after all.)_

v.

At the end of the day, Tenten was just like any other normal girl.

She, too, found Uchiha Sasuke cute.

Fortunately, unlike other normal teenage girls, Tenten was not satisfied with the superficial stuff. It didn’t matter that Sasuke was, and would probably always be, the most attractive guy in all of Konoha. It didn’t matter that he was still one of the most popular guys in his age group, years after he had gone rouge. It didn’t matter that he was one of the most talented geniuses their village had ever seen.

At the risk of sounding cliché, Tenten looked more into the person’s heart, and what she saw in Sasuke’s heart wasn’t attractive at all.

_(Besides, she likes a different sort of genius anyway.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4 preview:
> 
> She was fourteen years old when she received her first love confession.  
> It involved a lot of dog fur.  
> A whole lot of them.


	4. Inuzuka Kiba

_She was fourteen years old when she received her first love confession._

_It involved a lot of dog fur._

_A whole lot of them._

i.

It didn’t look like it, but Tenten was fond of animals.

 _(When she looked back on it, many years later, she guessed that was the main reason_ it _even got that far.)_

ii.

“Tenten-san?”

She was sitting on a tree branch, sharpening her weapons, when a familiar voice called her name. Looking down, she spotted a boy in a gray jacket looking up at her. Sitting comfortably on his shoulder was a small puppy with beautiful white fur and dark brown patches on its ears. Tenten regarded them both with mild curiosity.

She recognized the puppy first.

“Oh, Akamaru!”

The puppy gave a friendly yelp, and Tenten hopped off the branch, landed gracefully beside the boy, and opened her arms. Akamaru jumped into her embrace and licked her face affectionately. The kunoichi chuckled, allowing the dog to cuddle her for a few more seconds, before she set him down and gave him a belly rub.

Only then did she face the boy who’d called her name. “Kiba-kun, right?”

Kiba grinned a wolfish grin, and nodded.

“What’s up?” Tenten asked, absentmindedly twirling a kunai around her left index finger. She and Kiba weren’t really properly introduced, more like knew each other by name and association—Hinata was, after all, Neji’s cousin. And since Neji gradually stopped being a human ice block after the Chunnin Exams, Tenten eventually got the chance to meet Hinata, and her teammates, later on.

“Well,” Kiba started, and then scratched his head sheepishly, “I was on my way home and saw you so I thought I’d say hi.”

Tenten titled her head to the side; she had no idea where the Inuzuka compound was, but she was certain it wasn’t all the way out in the forest. Still, she let it go. If Kiba wanted to tell a little white lie for some reason that escaped her, she’d let him do it. Besides, it wasn’t as if he were a bad guy. He was Hinata’s teammate after all. Truth be told, she liked him better than the other guy in their team . . . the bug guy whose name evaded her like she tried to avoid cockroaches.

“Hi then,” she answered, her friendliest smile beaming from her lips.

_(When she finally got home, two hours after walking Akamaru, and then Kiba and Akamaru walking her home, she realized that the Inuzuka boy had a weird reddish tint on his cheeks the whole time._

_She immediately chalked it up to some weird Inuzuka gene or something.)_

iii.

The following day, Akamaru visited her in Team Gai’s training grounds, while she was sparring with Neji.

Between his teeth was a single lavender rose.

The two genin stopped in mid-spar and watched as the puppy walked up to them. Tenten bent down and took the rose from Akamaru’s teeth, as Neji looked on curiously.

“How thoughtful!” Tenten grinned and patted Akamaru’s head affectionately. “Thanks, Akamaru!”

The puppy barked happily, licked Tenten’s hand once, and scurried away.

“That’s Kiba’s dog.”

Tenten looked up and saw Neji following Akamaru with his eyes, as the puppy ran away from their training grounds.

“It is,” Tenten answered nonchalantly, not understanding why Neji’s tone was colder than usual. “Shall we continue?”

And because Neji didn’t say anything else, Tenten assumed it was nothing more than one of his infamous mood swings, and thought of it no more.

_(Neji’s attacks after that short interruption became more forceful, angry even. Tenten chucked it off to his sour mood as well. She was used to being his punching bag, after all.)_

iv.

The next day, Akamaru came back.

He was carrying a purple lilac this time.

_(Neji’s mood turned for the worse.)_

v.

Five days and five different flowers later—Akamaru came back, wearing a new collar around his neck. Tenten raised an eyebrow—she was sure the puppy did not wear a collar before.

“What do you have there, sweetie?” the kunoichi asked, bending down to look at the collar more closely.

The collar had a little metal pendant. Engraved on the pendant were the words _I like you, Tenten-san._

Tenten blinked. “I like you?” She stared at the puppy bearing the message and blinked again.

Of all the weird things she had encountered in her life (and being teammates with Lee forced her to experience _a lot_ of weird things), she found the fact that she just received a love confession from a dog the weirdest one of all.

_(She completely missed the possibility that it might be the dog’s owner who’d actually sent the message._

_Neji, it seemed, didn’t.)_

vi.

“Tenten-san?”

She was shopping for food in the market when Kiba suddenly appeared beside her.

“Hey, Kiba-kun!” she greeted, flashing him a friendly grin. She noticed, then, that his puppy was nowhere in sight. “Where's Akamaru?”

“I left him at home,” Kiba answered, falling into step beside her, and offering to carry her basket for her. And although Tenten believed that women were by no means weaker than men, she definitely did not mind the gesture. She did like a little chivalry once in a while.

“Oh,” Tenten replied, handing the basket to her companion. They walked for a bit, and then stopped in front of a vegetables stand. “I thought you two were inseparable,” she said conversationally, examining a piece of tomato.

Kiba grinned. “Most people think that way,” he answered, examining a potato. “He’s my best friend, after all.”

“Must be nice, having a best friend,” Tenten murmured, smiling as she placed the tomato in the basket. She took the potato from Kiba's hand and chucked it in, too.

Kiba turned to her, looking genuinely confused. “Don’t you have a best friend, Tenten-san?”

Tenten smiled. “Not really.”

Kiba frowned. “How about Lee-san? Or Neji-san?”

Tenten considered it for a few seconds. She hadn’t really made too many friends back in the Academy, because most kunoichi her age were intimidated by her little hobby (throwing kunai high up in the air and then catching it tend to ruin carefully manicured nails, after all). Lee and Neji were the closest she had for best friends, and they did become closer after the Chunnin Exams, but there were still things she could not share with them, or them with her. It made her sad, but she had long accepted the fact that maybe she was destined to be alone.

“Well, I wouldn’t call them my best friends . . . at least, not yet.”

It didn’t hurt holding on to a little hope, though.

_(True enough, they did become best friends. She didn’t know when it happened. It just did.)_

vii.

“Well, this is me,” Tenten said as they reached her front door. “Thanks for walking me home . . . and for listening.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Kiba grinned his trademark Inuzuka grin and scratched his head. “Let me know if you want to talk,” he continued, pointing his thumb to his chest and winking playfully. “I'm willing to listen again.”

Tenten chuckled. “You’re a really good friend, Kiba-kun,” and she saw Kiba’s grin slipped a little bit, but paid it no heed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I’ll be going then,” the Inuzuka boy said. Tenten nodded, waved as Kiba walked away, and suddenly remembered something.

“Oh!”

Kiba turned around quickly, as if expecting, hoping, that Tenten would call her back. “Yes?”

“Did you know that Akamaru confessed to me a couple of days back?”

The Inuzuka kid blushed beet red, and this time, Tenten noticed.

“Kiba-kun?”

“Ah, you see, Tenten-san,” Kiba started, scratching his head again. “That collar . . .”

The kunoichi blinked. “What about it?”

There was a long pause, as Tenten watched Kiba’s face turned a shade redder than the tomato she had bought earlier.

“I made him wear it.”

_(Tenten’s face remained redder than Kiba’s, way after he had left.)_

viii.

“You seem distracted.”

Tenten blinked as she threw another kunai at her favorite target board. The kunai missed its mark by about two centimeters, a negligible distance, really, if anyone else had thrown it. But Tenten was the most accurate weapons’ specialist in the village, and four centimeters were a great deal.

“I . . . am?”

Neji stood up from his usual spot under the target board. “You almost nipped my ear with that last throw.”

“You should have evaded it then,” she huffed, insulted.

“I trust you enough to _know_ that you won’t hit me.”

For some weird reason, Tenten felt _happy_ with what Neji said. She tried not to show it too much, though. “Pfft.”

“So why are you distracted?” Neji asked.

“Well,” she started, not sure why she was suddenly _shy._ It wasn’t really a big deal to begin with, after all. It was just that she and Neji had never talked about things like these before. Most of the time, their conversations centered around their techniques, or their missions, or how they both want to gag Lee’s and Gai's mouths when they start one of their youth fests. She couldn’t really see Neji being interested in things like crushes or stuff like that. It just didn’t seem to fit with his personality.

Then again, she did want someone she could talk to about things like feelings and all that jazz.

“I just found out that Akamaru didn’t like me, after all.”

_(When Neji explained to her, in very simple words, how it was impossible for Akamaru to like her romantically, Tenten felt the need to plead her case._

_Before she remembered that they were talking about a dog._

_She said nothing more on the subject after that.)_

ix.

“Tenten-san?”

She was sitting on a tree branch, sharpening her kunai, when an all-too-familiar voice called her name. Looking down, she spotted a boy in a gray jacket looking up at her. Sitting comfortably on his shoulder was a small puppy with beautiful white fur and dark brown patches on its ears.

“Oh, Akamaru!”

The puppy gave a friendly yelp, and Tenten hopped off the branch, landed gracefully beside the boy, and opened her arms. Akamaru jumped into her embrace and licked her face affectionately. The kunoichi chuckled, allowed the dog to cuddle her for a few more seconds, before setting him down and giving him a belly rub.

Only then did she face the boy who called her name. “Kiba-kun.” She smiled. “What’s up?”

It felt like deja vu, but at that moment, she really didn’t care.

“I just wanted to say hi,” Kiba answered, grinning his wolfish grin. “Akamaru missed you.”

“Aww. I missed you too,” Tenten chirped, patting the puppy’s head affectionately. “Shall we go for a walk?”

Akamaru barked happily, and out of the corner of her eye, she could see that it made Kiba happy, too.

 _(After their walk, Tenten told the younger shinobi that she didn’t really like him romantically. Kiba told her he had guessed that much, but wanted to let her know his feelings anyway. He had been attracted to her for some time now, after all. Tenten thanked him, patted_ his _head affectionately, and refused his offer to walk her home. The shinobi did not insist, but picked a piece of azalea near them and gave it to her._

_“Take care of yourself, Tenten-san.”_

_She accepted the flower and smiled. “You too, Kiba-kun.”)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5 preview:
> 
> Tenten’s first kiss was more of a necessity than anything else.  
> It was a matter of life and death, after all.  
> The guy who “kissed” her almost died, too.


	5. Nara Shikamaru

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year, everyone! Here's hoping for a better 2021 for us all.

_Tenten’s first kiss was more of a necessity than anything else._

_It was a matter of life and death, after all._

_The guy who “kissed” her almost died, too._

i.

Tenten wasn’t really picky with her first kiss. She sort of figured she would _lose_ it during one of her missions, either to distract a mark or seduce her target (not that she was good with the latter).

_(She was wrong on both counts.)_

ii.

It started out as a simple C-ranked mission.

Their four-man cell—she, Neji, Lee, and Shikamaru—were sent to the Rain Country to retrieve a set of scrolls needed for the operation of a new experimental construction in a small village near Konoha. They retrieved the scroll easily—their contact had arranged a secret meeting in a small inn near the outskirts of the country, turned over the material, and disappeared just as quickly as he appeared. The three shinobi and one kunoichi decided to spend the night in the inn; they received no information of any threat or trouble that may come.

They were on their way home, the following morning, when trouble _did_ appear.

Their opponents were a small band of rogue ninjas interested in the scrolls. It was twenty against four, but the ninjas obviously were not aware of the strength that Team Gai possessed. Throw in the elite Nara genius, and it felt like a one-sided massacre on their part.

_(It was probably because of this fact that all of them, Shikamaru included, made a miscalculation.)_

iii.

When she came to, the first thing that flashed in her mind, as hazy and unclear as her thoughts were, was _pineapples._

A fraction of a second later, her lungs were heaving out water, cold and wet and sticky.

As she turned to her side and coughed, she felt a cold hand rubbing circles against her back. Then a voice from not so far away, _Is that Lee?,_ calling out her name.

Forcing her eyes open, she blinked back the tears and water that blurred her vision, and there, right beside her, was Shikamaru, with the most worried expression she had ever seen him make.

_(The plan was simple—Neji and Lee will be in the forefront, because they were both close to mid-range fighters. Shikamaru will provide mid-range support, while Tenten was, as always, the long-range backup, ready to decimate their opponents if they managed to go past Neji’s almost impregnable defense. Because she was the farthest from the enemies, she was tasked to carry the scrolls, to protect them at all cost._

_It was the perfect strategy. It was Shikamaru’s plan, after all._

_Except that someone_ did _manage to go past Neji’s defense. And Lee’s. And Shikamaru’s. And headed straight to Tenten. She was the most important target, after all._

_And Tenten, ever-reliable Tenten, engaged the enemy one-on-one, because she was Team Gai’s weapons expert and not just a mere backup kunoichi. And she defeated her opponent, pinned him against the ground, half a dozen kunai stuck in different vital points of his body._

_But not before setting off a trap the enemy had made himself._

_The tag exploded, instantly killing the rogue nin. Tenten was blown backward, trapped in a wire net thatwas released when the enemy ninja died._

_She fell in the lake._

_Neji and Lee were too far away to help. Shikamaru, who was nearest, was also otherwise engaged._

_The last thing she heard before she splashed in the water was Lee’s youthful voice, yelling out her name.)_

iv.

Neji blamed Shikamaru.

_(To be fair, Shikamaru blamed himself, too.)_

v.

Sakura discharged her after making sure there was no residual damage done by the trap. When she stepped out of the clinic, she found Neji and Lee waiting for her in the visitors’ lounge.

“Tenten!” Lee immediately bounced toward her, gripping her hands and shaking them wildly. “Are you okay? What did Sakura-san say?”

There was the usual burst of energy in Lee’s action, but Tenten knew he was being gentle with her as well, as much as Lee could be gentle of _anything_.

“I’m fine, Lee,” she answered, a little tiredly. “Sakura is asking for you. She wants to do your checkup next.”

Round eyes glimmered in delight, and after one final vigorous shake and an exclamation of Tenten’s undying youth, Lee bounded inside the clinic, with shouts of “I’m here, Sakura-san!” echoing in the small room.

Tenten almost chuckled, but then realized that Neji was still there. And unlike Lee, Neji didn’t have his version of Sakura-san that Tenten could use to distract him.

“Well?” she started, resigned to the fact that she was not going to escape his aura of doom anytime soon. “Out with it.”

Neji raised an eyebrow, as if puzzled. Tenten rolled her eyes and started off, Neji following leisurely behind. “Oh don’t be clever, Hyuuga,” she huffed. “Just say what you have to say, so I can go home and sleep.”

They walked in silence for a couple more minutes, Neji a few feet behind her.

And then, finally, “I’m sorry I didn’t get to you soon enough.”

Tenten had expected Neji to say any of a number of things—how she should be more careful next time, how important it was to be on guard against her opponent, how she almost compromised their mission by being _weak_ —but she was _not_ expecting him to apologize.

“What?” she asked, suddenly stopping dead in her tracks. “What are you saying sorry for? It wasn’t your fault.”

There was something in Neji’s eyes that confused her. Finally, he broke his gaze, and started walking again. “Come on,” he said in his usual monotone. “I’m walking you home.”

_(Neji was, in fact, sorry that he didn’t get to Tenten soon enough. His reasons weren’t a hundred percent related to Tenten's brush with death.)_

vi.

They were almost at Tenten’s apartment when they heard a girlish squeal behind them.

“Tenten!”

The kunoichi had half a mind to ignore the caller, but Neji had already stopped walking and turned around. Sighing, Tenten turned and came face-to-face with the ever-loud-and-chirpy Yamanaka Ino.

“Yes?” she asked as tiredly as she could, hoping that Ino would take the hint and just let her go home in peace. Tenten liked Ino well enough, but she totally understood why Shikamaru often called his teammate troublesome.

“I heard you had your _first_ during your last mission,” Ino bubbled up, grinning from ear to ear.

Tenten frowned. “Eh?” She was too tired to read between the lines, especially if it was one of Ino’s lines.

“You know,” the Yamanaka continued, still grinning. “Your first kiss. You got kissed during your mission in Rain Country.”

Tenten blinked. “Kiss?” she asked, genuinely confused. “I haven’t been kissed during my mission.” She rubbed her forehead to try to keep calm. “Maybe you got the wrong girl?”

Ino shook her head. “Don’t try to deny it,” she said, winking. “I heard it from Shika himself. Well, actually, more like, accidentally heard him tell Chouji while they were on their way for yakiniku. But,” and this time, Ino did squeal, “I can’t believe Shika was your first!”

“Shikamaru?” Tenten was still very confused. “I never got kissed by Shikamaru either.”

It was Ino’s turn to frown. “But . . .” She never got to finish her sentence.

“Tenten.” The Hyuuga’s voice sounded almost like a growl, and both kunoichi turned to look at him, surprise written all over their faces. “Let’s go.”

“Uh, okay,” Tenten answered, waving uneasily at Ino before running to catch up with her friend. “Neji! Wait up!”

_(Neither shinobi nor kunoichi saw Ino’s grin get all the wider.)_

vii.

“Well?”

Hands of hips, standing in her doorway, she waited.

Neji stared at her, unmoving.

“Fine,” Tenten huffed, turning around. “I’m going in.”

“Tenten.”

She glanced back, a twinkle in her eye. “Ah, see?” she almost chuckled. “You _do_ want to say something. Out with it then.”

But Neji merely kept staring at her, pale gray orbs observing her every move.

Finally, “This is ridiculous. I’m _really_ going in.”

“I promise,” Neji suddenly started, and Tenten listened on, curious, “I promise . . . I won’t let you drown again.”

 _(The first two minutes were the hardest. She struggled with the wire net, but it fit snugly around her, and weighed her down so she couldn’t swim upward. Her movements were restricted so she couldn’t summon out any weapon to cut the material_. _Finally, when she felt herself losing breath, she worried if her teammates would find the scrolls once they recover her body; she had kept them hidden inside another scroll, ready to be summoned only when they reach their village of destination._

_She saw her life flash before her eyes—the graduation ceremony in the Academy, meeting Gai-sensei for the first time, stopping Lee from challenging Neji yet again, getting beat up by Temari during the Chunnin exams, beating up Neji and Lee for taking the Sasuke retrieval mission without telling her—and figured it wasn’t half-bad at all. She would have wanted to live longer—be an excellent kunoichi like her idol Tsunade-sama, get married to a shinobi who didn’t have issues or weird quirks, have one or two kids, and serve her country until her last dying breath—but dying in a mission before she turned seventeen wasn’t bad at all._

_When she finally exhaled her last breath, she saw a shadow heading toward her, and before she lost consciousness, one word crossed her mind:_

Pineapples _.)_

viii.

“Hey there, sleepyhead.”

She stood on the riverbank, a half-asleep Shikamaru a few feet away.

The lazy Nara opened one sleepy eye and regarded her carefully. Then, “Go away, I’m trying to sleep.”

Tenten chuckled and lay down beside him, crossing her arms behind her head. “You’re always trying to sleep. Even during missions.”

She got a _tch_ in response.

The weapons mistress chuckled. “I heard something interesting the other day, from Ino.”

The shinobi made no indication of even listening. Still, Tenten continued. “It appears I got my _first_ during our last mission.”

Still no response.

“She said you _kissed_ me.”

This time, Shikamaru stirred. “Eh?”

Tenten grinned, watching the clouds. “What was that all about?”

And she could have sworn she heard Shikamaru’s brains go _tic,_ because the next second, he rubbed his creased forehead in a sign of weariness. “That troublesome girl.” At Tenten’s curious stare, he continued, “He must have heard what I told Chouji.”

Tenten frowned. “You _never_ kissed me, Shika,” she pointed out.

Shikamaru _tched_ again. “I never said I did.”

“Then?”

Shikamaru scratched his head in mild annoyance. “I was telling Chouji that you almost drowned because of an enemy attack, and that I was the one who got to you first.”

“So?”

The shinobi sighed. “I performed CPR on you, that’s all.” Tenten blinked. “Ino must have considered that a kiss. That _troublesome_ woman.”

Tenten blinked again. “Oh,” she said, turning to look at the clouds again. “Then I guess you really are my first then.”

_(She didn’t really give it too much thought after that. After all, for her, a kiss was a kiss and just a kiss. It wasn’t like she needed to fall in love with her first anyway. Shikamaru obviously did not need to fall in love with her as well._

_Except that he sort of did._

_But that’s a different story altogether.)_

ix.

“Tenten!” Lee bounced toward her the second she stepped into their usual training ground. “I hear a rumor in town today!”

Neji was sitting on his usual spot, eyes closed, meditating.

“Lee,” Tenten chirped, twirling a kunai around her index finger. “You know you shouldn’t believe in rumors.”

“But this involves you!”

Tenten frowned, and Neji opened his eyes.

“They said you made out with Shikamaru during our last mission,” Lee said, voice full of conviction.

Tenten’s face flushed red. “Lee!” she shrieked. “I did not make out with Shika, _ever_!”

Lee regarded him with eyes full of doubt, and out in the corner of her eye, Tenten saw Neji slowly stand up. She shivered at the aura the Hyuuga emitted. Then, all of a sudden, “What does _made out_ mean, anyway?” A beat. “Is that some sort of training, Tenten? Can you teach me how to do it?”

_(Lee ended up in the hospital afterward. Shikamaru had to hide out in the Nara compound for a week._

_The rumors died as quickly as they appeared. There was a bigger rumor that spread, after all._

_One that involved a murderous, jealous Hyuuga, beating the living crap out of all who looked at the kunoichi with a weird fascination for weapons._

_Nobody could prove the validity of the rumor though._

_No one could disprove it either.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 6 preview:
> 
> Only a few people have seen Tenten with her hair down.  
> Fewer have lived to tell the tale.  
> Four people, to be exact.


	6. Sai

_Only a few people have seen Tenten with her hair down._

_Fewer have lived to tell the tale._

_Four people, to be exact._

i.

When Ino asked her, casually, over dinner, why she preferred to tie up her hair in buns rather than wear it down, Tenten explained that it was more convenient that way, especially when handling weapons. Wouldn’t want to accidentally give herself a haircut while impaling a rouge nin, right?

Lee nodded enthusiastically in response. Neji smirked. Shikamaru gave a _tch_ to show how he found the conversation troublesome. Chouji and Naruto munched on their food, Sakura and Hinata continued having an intense conversation of their own, Kiba threw a piece of yakiniku to Akamaru, and Shino, well, Shino sat in a corner, almost invisible.

Then, all of a sudden, “Can I see you with your hair down, Tenten-san?”

All heads turned to look at the ex-Root member.

He was smiling, as always.

_(Neji was not.)_

ii.

“You didn’t have to escort me home, you two,” Tenten groaned, exasperated, as Neji and Lee flanked her. “I mean, seriously.”

“But Tenten!” Lee said, overly enthusiastic, as always. “We just want to make sure you’re safe!”

“Lee,” the kunoichi growled. “Are you implying that I cannot take care of myself?”

The shinobi in green spandex shook his head vigorously. “Of course not!” he answered with gusto. “But you are our precious flower, and it is our duty to . . .”

Lee earned a smack on the head in response.

Tenten sighed. “This is because of Sai, isn’t it?” she asked, directing her question to Neji, who was characteristically quiet as they trudged along. “Seriously, you guys are overreacting. It’s not like he’s going to stalk me home or anything.”

“But he said he wants to see you with your hair down!” Lee insisted, as if Tenten’s fist a few seconds ago did not matter at all.

Tenten rubbed her forehead in annoyance. “Lee, I’m pretty sure he’s not going to follow me home just to see me with my hair down.”

“But he might!”

“Lee!”

“Tenten.”

Kunoichi and shinobi both turned to the Hyuuga in white, both waiting for him to say whatever he meant to say. They waited, and waited, until finally,

“You’re home.”

_(“Can I see you with your hair down, Tenten-san?”_

_The kunoichi blinked, and the rest of their companions, sans Neji—and maybe Shino, but then again, who could tell, with those sunglasses of his?—blinked along with her. “Eh?”_

_The ex-Root member repeated his question. “Can I see you with your hair down?”_

_All heads turned to Tenten then—save for one now-frowning Hyuuga—waiting for her reply._

_“W-well,” the kunoichi stuttered, uncomfortable at the sudden attention. “B-but I only wear my hair down when I’m home?” It came out more of a question than a statement, as if unsure of how she should answer._

_A beat._

_“Then can I go to your house, Tenten-san?”_

_It took Lee, Naruto, Kiba, Akamaru, Chouji, Shikamaru’s shadow, and Shino’s bugs to stop Nej from jyukken-ing Sai._

_The poor ex-Root nin was terribly confused._

_It wasn’t as if he asked the Hyuuga to wear_ his _hair down for him._

_Which, of course, he was doing already, anyway.)_

iii.

Truth be told, only ten people have seen Tenten with her hair down.

Seven of them had died gruesome deaths.

Only three remained to tell the tale.

Which they don’t, not when it was unnecessary.

_(Neji was the first to see Tenten’s hair down—more like, half of it, in reality. It was during a mission; one of the rouge nins they encountered had thrown a curved blade at the kunoichi, missing her by literally a hair’s width, nipping one of her hair ties instead. Down came half of her long, brown locks, flowing carelessly with the wind, as the kunoichi threw a poisonous shuriken at the enemy._

_The rogue nin expired a few seconds later, and Neji knocked down the remaining enemies in the area. Afterward, the Hyuuga watched his teammate while she struggled with her hair. He quietly handed her his own hair tie, which Tenten accepted without question._

_By the time Lee and Gai reached them, Tenten’s buns were back to their original form._

_Lee asked why Neji was without his ever-reliable hair tie. He got jyukkened for his efforts.)_

iv.

It took the Hyuuga six months to see his friend with her hair down again. They were with Lee and Gai this time, and again, they were surrounded with four dozen A-rank enemy nin.

By the time their fight was done, Lee had his leg weights off, Neji’s clothes were caked brown with mud and dried blood, and both of Tenten’s hair ties were gone. The unlucky few who actually saw her in that state—except for her teammates, of course—were decimated to shreds before they even knew what happened.

Neji handed over his hair tie to the kunoichi once again. Tenten accepted it gratefully, tied her hair in one swift ponytail, and said nothing of the matter until they got back home.

_(Lee wanted to comment on how youthful Tenten looked with her hair down, but Gai had enough sense to stop him before he opened his mouth._

_Neji’s glare helped as well.)_

v.

Tenten tried to return Neji’s hair ties three times.

Neji pretended not to notice.

_(Tenten, after the third failed attempt, gave up._

_She used the hair ties regularly, instead.)_

vi.

Tenten was woken up by the loud explosion outside her window.

She grabbed the kunai under her pillow, and in her pajamas, rushed to the source of the sound, and pressed her back against the wall, ready to be on the defensive.

Risking a peek outside to see who had set off her trap, she found Sai half-hanging on a branch, dusty from the gun powder she had personally set in the tags surrounding her small home.

“Sai?” she blurted out, quickly opening her window to talk to the unfortunate guy. “What are you doing here?”

The shinobi smiled his creepy smile, hopped off the branch, and landed on another branch, one that was nearer Tenten’s window.

“I was waiting for you to wake up, so I can see what you looked like with your hair down,” came his simple reply. He answered it so honestly, so effortlessly, that Tenten wasn’t sure what to make of it. He couldn’t be a stalker; Tenten didn’t consider herself pretty or popular enough to be stalked, not even by the weird ex-Root.

Perhaps he really just wanted to see her with her hair down? It was amusing, in a creepy sort of way.

Still, “Are you out of your mind?!”

Sai’s smile disappeared. “Why would you think that?” he asked, genuinely confused.

Tenten had about a dozen answers to his question, but figured that the shinobi would probably not understand any of it. She chucked it off to his lack of social training, and decided to forgive him just this once.

Maybe no one taught him that going to a lady’s house uninvited, and then waiting outside her second floor window, was a social taboo. And a criminal offense, to boot.

“Nevermind,” she said, rubbing her forehead. “Do you want to come in for breakfast?”

The shinobi’s smile returned. “Yes.”

“Okay,” the kunoichi answered, pointing down. “But you’re coming in from the front door.”

_(She completely forgot that she hasn’t even combed her hair yet. Or washed her face. Or brushed her teeth, for that matter._

_Not that Sai noticed either.)_

vii.

“And next time,” she said as she served the shinobi a plate of fried sesame dumplings and a cup of hot tea, “let me know when you’re coming, okay? Saves me the trouble of having to reattach my defensive tags.”

“Okay,” Sai replied, the smile never leaving his face.

Tenten shook her head as she sat down directly opposite the visiting shinobi. She rarely receive social calls in the wee hours of the morning, and was thankful that it was her rest day—meaning there wouldn’t be an angry Hyuuga knocking on her door because she was late for training.

Truth be told, Sai made her curious a bit. She didn’t really know a lot about him—none of them did—and he was such a mystery that it made her interested, in a weird kind of way. It didn’t help that he seemed naïve, oblivious, even, about so many things.

And he did kind of looked like Sasuke, so she guessed he was kind of good-looking?

Suddenly, “Tenten-san?”

Tenten blinked as Sai’s voice snapped her out of her musings. Sporting a pink tint on her cheeks for being caught daydreaming like that, she replied, “What is it?”

“You look good with your hair down.” A smile. “You should wear it like that more often.”

_(Tenten disappeared from the kitchen in a flash. When she came back three minutes later, her hair was back in her usual twin buns._

_Sai wasn’t sure if he had said something wrong._

_Tenten merely smiled as brightly as she could, and told the shinobi to finish his breakfast before it got cold.)_

viii.

Three days passed before she saw Sai again.

She was walking home with Neji, after spending an entire afternoon training. She looked dishelved—the Hyuuga wanted to try a new technique, and he was not willing to show it to anyone else except her. Tenten’s usual white top was covered with dirt, arms and face filled with little cuts, and tufts of hair were sticking out here and there. Neji wasn’t in such good shape either—his white clothes were now of a darker shade and filled with different-sized holes, and his hair suspiciously looked a few inches shorter than before.

It had been a vigorous training, and neither of them had come out of it unscathed.

“Tenten-san.”

Tenten regarded Sai wearily; she was much too tired to tolerate his strangeness that afternoon. Still, she figured saying hi to him wouldn’t be a great deal, so she waited as the shinobi came to her and her quiet companion.

“Hey, Sai,” she greeted, catching a glimpse of Sai’s sketchpad in his left hand. “No mission today?”

“No,” the shinobi answered, smiling. “I have something for you.”

“Eh?” Tenten asked, creasing her forehead a little. “What is it?”

Sai opened his sketchpad, tore out a page, and handed it to Tenten. The weapons’ specialist accepted it and looked at it curiously. Behind her, she felt Neji’s eyes hover on the paper as well.

Tenten gasped. “Oh,” she murmured, not believing what she’s seeing.

On the paper was one of Sai’s sketches, smiling back at her. Brown eyes, pink cheeks, red lips, the face that started at her was like a reflection in the mirror, except that the reflection looked three times better than the original.

Its hair was worn down, too.

“Wow,” Tenten mumbled, not sure what to say. “Thank you,” she said finally, smiling at Sai. “But I think you overdid it. I don’t look this good in person!” she chuckled, trying not to mind her nervousness.

Sai looked confused. “But you’re beautiful, Tenten-san.”

Tenten blinked. “Huh?”

Sai’s confused expression changed to a thoughtful one. “I’ve been reading about social interaction, and learning tips from Naruto,” he related, in that painfully honest tone of his. “I tried being honest with Sakura and told her that she was ugly, and she gave me a punch in the face.”

Tenten blinked some more.

“I figured out that women do not like being told the truth, so I told the opposite to Ino-san, and called her gorgeous.” Sai paused for dramatic emphasis. “Sakura punched me again.”

Tenten blinked one more time, not sure if she should feel insulted for her friends’ behalf.

“So I figured I should just tell people the truth,” Sai concluded, his smile returning. “I get punched either way anyway.”

Tenten wanted to laugh, but Sai sounded so _sincere._ Instead, she answered, “Well, telling people the truth is the better thing to do, I guess.”

Sai nodded. “That’s why I’m telling you the truth instead,” he finished. “You’re beautiful, Tenten-san.”

_(Neji didn’t attempt to jyukken Sai this time._

_Tenten was very relieved at that.)_

ix.

“Well,” she chirped, obviously in a good mood, despite being treated as a punching bag earlier, “I’ll see you tomorrow, same time, same place?”

The Hyuuga nodded stiffly, glaring at the paper Tenten was holding.

“Oh come on,” the kunoichi said. “Can’t you let me feel pretty once in a while? It’s not every day that someone tells me that I’m beautiful, you know.” She shrugged, opening the parchment and staring at the portrait Sai made of her. “I am a girl, too, so I do appreciate a compliment every now and then.” Rolling the paper once again, she offered her friend one final smile. “Well? I’m going in, okay?”

Then, “You _are_ beautiful.”

Tenten blinked, and then grinned. “Geez Neji,” she laughed. “I wasn’t implying that you should tell me that.” She chuckled, and patted Neji’s shoulder as if to patronize him. “I’m perfectly happy with you complimenting me on my skills rather than my looks.”

“But you are.”

This time, Tenten frowned a little. “Eh?”

The left corner of Neji’s lip tugged upward in a small smirk. “I should have told you that before. I’m sorry.”

“W-what?”

But Neji had already turned around. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

And before Tenten could say another word, the Hyuuga _vanished,_ as if spending another second in front of her would _melt_ him.

Tenten remained on her spot, minutes after Neji had gone.

She wasn’t sure what had come over her teammate, for him to say something as ridiculous as that.

She wasn’t sure what had come over her either, for her to be so affected by it.

All she knew was that hearing from Neji that she was beautiful made her happier than when she heard it from Sai.

_(Or from any other guy, for that matter.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 7 preview:
> 
> Tenten went out on her first date when she was seventeen years old.  
> She went out with a Hyuuga.  
> The wrong Hyuuga.


	7. Hyuuga Kou

_ Tenten went out on her first date when she was seventeen years old. _

_ She went out with a Hyuuga. _

_ The  _ wrong  _ Hyuuga. _

i.

It was the Fire daimyo’s birthday.

Although nobody was quite sure how old he really was. 

He ordered a big celebration, and all shinobi from the Country of Fire were  _ required  _ to attend, minus the ones who were on missions. 

_ (Tenten was a little excited about it, because it meant a break from all the rigorous training she and the rest of Team Gai usually do. Neji, she knew, would find the entire thing ridiculous, and a terrible waste of time. She also knew Lee and Gai were more excited about it than she would ever be.) _

ii.

“Yosh! I promise to ask Sakura-san to the daimyo’s ball by the end of the day!” Lee exclaimed, pumping his fist up in the air. “If I don’t, I’ll do one hundred pushups, two hundred squats, and five hundred laps around the village!”

They were in their usual training grounds, she and Lee and Neji, all waiting for Gai to appear so they could discuss their plans for the rest of the day. Tenten guessed she was going to end up sparring with Neji (they almost always end up training together), while Lee would train with Gai in an off-location site, away from the squirrels. As expected, Lee was the one who opened up the topic of the ball, because Neji would definitely not mention it out of his own accord, and Tenten felt that it would be pointless to discuss it with two guys who knew  _ nothing  _ about proper social interactions.

“That’s great, Lee,” Tenten said absentmindedly, twirling her favorite kunai around her left index finger. Her mind was on a new weapon on display in her favorite shop, and she was trying to compute in her head how much of her daily allowance she had to save so she could buy it by the end of the week.

All of a sudden, Lee asked, “Who’s your date to the ball, Tenten?”

The kunoichi stopped twirling the kunai and blinked at Lee’s direction. “Huh?”

“Your date,” Lee replied, as if he found nothing wrong with his question. “Who will be your date to the daimyo’s ball?”

“Date?” Tenten blinked again. “Do we need a date to go to the party?” She felt a bit of a panic at the thought; she didn’t have anyone, and she really wanted to go there, because the minute Neji realized she was not going, he was going to force her to train with him instead.

Lee shook his head. “No, but Gai-sensei said it would be more fun if you have a date with you.”

_ Ah. Figures.  _

“So?” Lee pressed on. “Who’s your date for the ball?”

Tenten shook her head and chuckled uncomfortably. “I don’t have one, Lee.” She tried to twirl the kunai again, but it slipped out of her reach and spiraled a few inches away from where Neji was sitting. “Oops, sorry,” she chuckled, rubbing the back of her head and picking up the weapon.

Neji regarded her with expressionless eyes.

“How about you, Neji?”

Both Tenten and the Hyuuga turned to the taijutsu expert, who was currently doing push-ups using only his left thumbs.

“Who’s your date for the ball?”

_ (Neji said dates were an unnecessary bother. Lee said he was being unyouthful. Tenten was quietly relieved and disappointed at the same time, for a reason she couldn’t explain.) _

iii.

Then something  _ weird  _ happened when she got home.

_ (Something  _ really  _ weird.) _

iv.

“Neji,” Tenten started, throwing a variety of shurikens and senbons at the Hyuuga. “What can you say about Kou-san?”

The Hyuuga avoided her last senbon and paused long enough to consider the question. “He’s Hinata-sama’s personal bodyguard,” he answered, and then began his attack. 

Tenten didn’t have time to roll her eyes. “I already know that,” she answered, avoiding Neji’s Gentle Fist. “I mean, what is he like?”

Tenten could see Neji’s eyebrows meet. “He’s dedicated to his job. And loyal to Hinata-sama.” He stopped his attacks and regarded his sparring partner warily. “Why the sudden interest?”

Tenten felt her cheeks burn and chuckled nervously. “Oh, just curious,” she answered. Then, summoning a tonfa, she said, “Again?”

They sparred for a couple more minutes before taking a quick break.

Then, out of nowhere, “What else can you say about Kou-san?”

Neji stopped packing his things and stared suspiciously at his friend. “He’s serious and mature for his age, and has great self-control.”

Tenten chuckled. “That’s like describing half of your clan,” she said, before noticing Neji that was looking at her in a peculiar manner. “Sorry,” she grinned.

“Tenten,” Neji said, suddenly holding Tenten’s wrist. It came to her more of a shock than anything else, because Neji was someone who avoids physical contact as much as possible. That, and ever since he told her that she was beautiful a couple of weeks ago, she’d been having those weird fuzzy bunnies in her chest whenever he would come five feet of her.

“Huh?”

“Why are you so interested in Kou-san?”

“Oh.” For the second time that day, Tenten found her cheeks burning pink. “Well, just . . . curious?”

The Hyuuga was not convinced. “Tenten.” 

Tenten gulped. “He, uh, asked me to be his date for the ball?”

_ (“Tenten-san.” _

_ Tenten stared at the person standing in front of her little apartment. It took her a couple of seconds to recognize him. _

_ “Oh! Kou-san!” _

_ She watched as the older Hyuuga smiled, and she quickly approached him. “How are you?” _

_ “Good,” Kou answered, his smile growing wider than Tenten had ever seen any other Hyuuga make.  _

_ “Is there anything I can do for you?” the kunoichi asked, summoning her keys and opening her door. “Would you like to come in?” _

_ Kou raised his right hand to indicate that he has to refuse the offer. “I’m afraid I have to be back to our compound before dark,” he explained. “Hiashi-sama will expect me to be there during Hinata-sama’s evening training.” _

_ “Oh, okay,” Tenten answered, her hand on the knob, her eyes fixed on her companion. “So what can I do for you?” _

_ Tenten watched as Kou’s cheeks turned a distinct shade of red. “Kou-san?” _

_ “Did Neji-kun ask you out for the daimyo’s ball?” _

_ It was Tenten’s turn to blush. “N-no!” she almost shrieked. Then, more calmly, “No, he didn’t.” Then, as an afterthought, perhaps because she remembered her earlier conversation with Lee, “No one’s asked me, really.” _

_ The Hyuuga appeared relieved. And then nervous all over again. _

_ “Kou-san?” Tenten asked, wondering what’s wrong. “Are you okay?” _

_ Kou smiled again, and somehow, Tenten was reminded of the fact that she hadn’t really seen Neji smile like that before. _

_ “I now am.”) _

v.

Tenten did not see Neji until the evening of the ball.

_ (Or, to be more specific about it, an hour before her date picked her up.) _

vi.

When she heard the knock, she was still in the middle of putting on her jade earrings, one of the few precious jewelries she owned—a gift that Ino, Sakura and Hinata had pooled money for her sixteenth birthday.

Hurrying to the door, she was expecting to see Hyuuga Kou in formal attire, ready to pick her up for the party.

She saw a Hyuuga in formal attire, all right, but this particular Hyuuga was of leaner built, of longer hair, and of more serious demeanor.

“Neji?”

If Neji was embarrassed from the sudden intrusion, he hid it well. Still, Tenten had to ask what he was doing there.

She was answered with silence.

“Well, come in,” she said, a little uncertainly. Closing the door behind them, she signaled for him to sit down on her small couch while she slipped into the adjacent chair and picked up one of her black sandals. Neji watched her silently, until Tenten felt uncomfortable under his stare.

That, and the fuzzy wuzzy bunnies were back.

“So,” she said, in way of conversation, “what  _ are _ you doing here?”

Neji merely looked away. 

Tenten shook her head and sighed. “Well, as much as I want to babysit you,” she pointed to the clock with her head, “Kou-san will be here any minute. And you should be going to the ball, too.”

Finally, “Tenten?”

For a second Tenten’s mind blanked out. Why did Neji sound so uncertain of himself? It was almost as if he was . . . remorseful for something he has, or has not, done.

“Yes?”

The fuzzy wuzzy bunnies multiplied threefolds.

“I’m . . .”

A sudden knock on the door ruined the moment, although Tenten wasn’t sure there was a moment to begin with. Embarrassed, she quickly stood up, leaving Neji on the couch. “I’ll be right there,” she said, throwing Neji an apologetic look as she hurried to the door.

Hyuuga Kou was standing on her front steps, with a beautiful bouquet of tulips in his hands.

“Oh,” Tenten gasped. “They’re beautiful!”

Kou smiled. “I’m glad you liked them,” he said. “Sorry I was a little late. I had to make sure Hinata-sama was picked up by her date before I could leave the compound.”

Tenten grinned. “Don’t worry about it,” she answered. “Let me put these in, then we can go.” She suddenly stopped, remembering that she had left  _ someone  _ in her living room. “Oh, by the way . . . “ she started, half-turning around to indicate that Neji was there, but found out that he was nowhere in sight. Frowning a little, she turned back to her date, and flashed him an all-too-wide smile. “Uh, nevermind, give me a second.”

They were off in one minute flat.

For some weird reason she could not explain, Tenten left her lights on.

_ (The reason would come to her much later.) _

vii.

To say that she was distracted was a grave understatement.

She realized that when Kou asked her for a dance and she handed him her glass, thinking he was asking for water.

“You’re looking for him.”

Tenten turned to her date and frowned. “Huh?”

Kou’s wide, happy smile was nowhere in sight; in its place was a small, almost sad smile. “You’re looking for Neji-kun.”

“N-no!” Tenten lied, although she wasn’t really aware that she was lying. “I couldn’t care less if he’s not here.”

Kou’s small, sad smile didn’t leave. “Would you care for a dance, Tenten-san?”

This time the kunoichi understood the request, and gladly accepted the invitation. They walked to the middle of the dance floor, surrounded by other dancing couples. Tenten spotted Hinata dancing with Kiba, Ino with Sai, and Sakura with Lee. She grinned at the thought that her friend actually succeeded in getting Sakura to agree to be his date. But with Sasuke gone rogue, and Naruto in a week-long mission, Tenten figured Lee was the only logical choice left for the pink-haired kunoichi. She felt a stab of sadness all of a sudden, because she was reminded of the fact that Lee could never really top the other two shinobi in Sakura’s heart.

“Tenten-san?” Kou said, as he wrapped an arm around Tenten’s waist. “Can I ask you something personal?”

“I guess,” the kunoichi answered, resting a hand on Kou’s shoulder. “I mean, I don’t think I have any secrets, anyway.”

“Do you like Neji-san?”

Tenten would have broken the heel of her shoe, except that she was wearing flat sandals. So she settled for a slight stumble instead. “W-what?” she stuttered when she recovered. “What are you talking about?”

Kou’s small smile was back. “Do you know when I started noticing you?”

Tenten shot her partner a questioning look. 

“Back when we had to rescue Hinata-sama, during the Chunnin exams.” Tenten still remembered what happened that day. Amid the confusion, two Cloud nin kidnapped an unconscious Hinata, forcing Tenten, Neji, and Kiba to chase them in an attempt of a rescue. Tenten offered to stay behind to hold off a pack of mud wolves. It was Hyuuga Kou who came to her rescue, at just the right time, when her arsenal was almost depleted.

“I was rushing to get to Hinata-sama when I saw you executing your twin rising dragons. For a split second, I forgot about everything else.”

Tenten blinked. He was watching her then?

“It was . . . magical.”

_ (They spent the rest of the evening dancing. Tenten’s feet hurt, she felt tiny needles pricking her arms, and her eyes half-drooped from exhaustion. _

_ Still, she danced with Kou until the very last song. _

_ She even saw Lee silently giving her a thumbs up. _

_ She gave him a silent wink in return.) _

viii.

“Well, that was fun,” she said, as they stood in front of her little apartment. “Thank you for asking me out to the ball, Kou-san.”

“It was my pleasure, Tenten-san,” Kou replied, taking Tenten’s right hand and kissing it lightly. 

Tenten hid her blush with a chuckle. “Well, do you want to come in for some tea?”

Kou’s small smile returned. “I would have loved to, but I’m afraid you have another visitor waiting for you inside.”

Tenten frowned. “A visitor?”

“It was nice spending the evening with you, Tenten-san,” Kou said, and his happy, wide smile made a reappearance.

Tenten blinked and watched as the older shinobi left. Finally, she went in, and locked the door behind her.

She almost gave a yelp when she saw Neji standing in the middle of her living room.

“Neji?” she gasped. “What are you still doing here?” Rushing up to him, hands on hips, she continued, “And why weren’t you in the ball?”

“I didn’t have a date.”

Tenten stared at her friend for a very long time before she could say anything. “What?” When Neji merely shrugged and looked away, Tenten felt the need to smack him on the head—which, of course, she didn’t literally do. “You didn’t go to the ball because you didn’t have a date?” A pause. “I thought you said dates were an unnecessary bother!”

“They are.”

Tenten threw her hands up in exasperation. “I seriously cannot understand you,” she said, flopping down her couch. Removing her left sandal, she sighed. “You should have been there,” she whispered, working on her right sandal next. “Lee was absolutely beaming with happiness.”

Neji looked down at her, a faint smile in his lips. “Did you enjoy your night?”

Tenten nodded. “Kou-san was amazing,” she murmured, a light smile gracing her lips as she rubbed her tired soles. “Still, it would have been nice if you were there to dance with me.” She wasn’t sure why she said it, but that was one of the reasons why she was so distracted during the party. To cover up, she continued, “I mean, even Lee danced two songs with me. And I wasn’t his date either.”

When she looked up, Neji had a hand extended to her.

Tenten frowned. “What?”

“Would you like to dance with me then?”

“Eh?” A pause. “But there’s no music?”

Neji shrugged. “Who needs one?”

Tenten chuckled, and accepted Neji’s hand. “I seriously cannot understand you,” she said, grinning from ear to ear. The Hyuuga pulled her up, and as if it was the most normal thing in the world, they put their arms around each other and swayed in the silence.

“I still wish you were there,” she whispered as she buried her face in the crook of Neji’s neck, her eyes closed, her tired body relaxing in the arms of someone so familiar and so unfamiliar at the same time. Neji’s hold on her tightened a bit, as if he was trying to hold her against him as close as he could.

_ (She was already half-asleep, still in his arms, when she heard him whisper back: _

_ “Forgive me.”) _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 8 preview:
> 
> Tenten realized she was in love with her best friend after a two-week mission in the Sand.  
> There was just one problem.  
> Neji didn’t appear to feel the same.
> 
> \---
> 
> I know, I know, the "dancing without music" trope is cliche, but in my defense I wrote this ten years ago and my young, impressionable self was all for cliches back then. Also I kinda like Kou, it's a shame we didn't get to see more of him . . . but then again, neither did we get to see more of Tenten in the manga so what's my point exactly?


	8. Sabaku no Gaara

_Tenten realized that she was in love with her best friend after a two-week mission in the Sand._

_There was just one problem._

_Neji didn’t appear to feel the same._

i.

“A mission?”

Tenten and Neji eyed their former sensei curiously, as Lee all but bounced up and down the four walls of Gai’s living room. Gai nodded and flashed a sparkling grin, temporarily blinding the three younger shinobi.

“Two weeks in Suna,” Gai replied, “to assist the village in an upcoming festival.”

“Festival?” Tenten frowned. “But the Kazekage just got back from being abducted by the Akatsuki. Is it prudent to hold a celebration so soon?”

Lee wagged his left index finger and shook his head. “Dear Tenten, don’t you see? That’s exactly why they’re holding a festival. To celebrate Gaara’s safe return!”

Tenten shook her head in response. “Celebrating is good, but shouldn’t Suna be cautious about Akatsuki making a second attack?”

“That’s why they’re sending us,” Gai replied, pointing his right thumb to his chest. “To help protect the perimeter while the festival is going on.”

Tenten’s frown deepened. “I never thought the Kazekage is so . . . careless.”

_(When she managed to talk to Gaara about it, on their second day in Suna, she found out that the festival wasn’t his idea, nor Kankuro’s and Temari’s. The council wanted to show everyone, in and out the village, that Suna was still strong and thriving, despite the recent tragedy that took place. Gaara would have nothing of it at first, saying there were more pressing matters to attend to, but he lost the vote, seven against three._

_Tenten regained the respect she’d lost for the Kazekage that evening.)_

ii.

It was Temari who welcomed them at the gates.

Both Team Gai and Team Asuma were dispatched to assist them, something Tenten was grateful for. That meant that aside from Neji, she had Shikamaru too, and Chouji, if he would not be distracted with the food. Lee, she knew, was a lost cause from the start; she figured he’d enjoy the festival more than he’s supposed to. At least she was sure he wouldn’t forget about the mission, as long as he was not allowed to drink sake. Tenten liked Ino, too, after getting to know her better over the years, and getting over her initial critical judgment of Ino being a “typical teenage girl.”

Tenten did not even want to think about what Gai would do.

“Welcome,” Temari greeted them, that cheeky grin never leaving her face. “Glad you can join us in the festivities.” There was mock humor in her voice, and Tenten felt it was directed more to the shadow nin in their little group. Shikamaru, in return, _tched_ and looked away.

“Well,” the sand kunoichi continued, “the Kazekage is expecting you in his office. Let’s go.”

The group followed her, and Tenten fell down in step with her lazy friend. “Well?”

Shikamaru gave her a tired stare. “Well what?”

“Will you invite Temari to go to the festival with you?” she half-asked, half-teased.

Shikamaru frowned. “Bugger that,” he answered, looking straight ahead. “She’s too troublesome. I’d rather ask you out than her.”

Tenten chuckled. “A pity,” she replied. “She seems to like you a lot.”

She received a groan in response.

_(When Tenten turned to look at her teammates, she noticed that Neji was silently looking at her.)_

iii.

The entrance interview with the Kazekage was uneventful, to say the least. Gai did most of the talking, with Lee spouting “Yosh!” every now and then. The rest of them remained silent, and only spoke when Gaara asked them a specific question.

Kankuro escorted the boys to their quarters; Temari the girls. When they reached their room, the Sand kunoichi bid them goodbye, saying that she still has some tasks to take care off.

Tenten watched her leave, while Ino started unpacking her stuff.

“Stop staring at her like you want to kick her ass,” Ino suddenly said from behind.

“What?”

“You want a rematch with her. It’s so obvious.” Ino grinned. “Healthy competition is good, but don’t forget about our mission just because of it.”

Tenten shrugged. “Don’t worry,” she answered. “Temari doesn’t even consider me as a rival or anything. Far as I know, I’m fodder to her.” And when Ino stared at her worriedly, Tenten grinned a huge, half-hearted grin. “I said don’t worry about it. I know my place, and I promise I won’t let my personal desires affect the outcome of our mission.”

_(As it turned out, Tenten’s personal desires did affect the outcome of their mission._

_Temari had nothing to do with it.)_

iv.

She was on her way back to their quarters, after making a quick visit to the village’s weapons store, when she came face to face with the Kazekage.

“Oh,” she stopped in midstep, not sure what to do. She’d never had the chance to talk to him before, at least, not in a one-on-one setting. She wasn’t even sure how to address him. “Kazekage” was probably the safest bet, but it sounded so formal. Calling him “Gaara” might be impolite though, so maybe she should settle for “Gaara-san”?

“Tenten,” the Kazekage suddenly broke her out of her musings. “Good evening.”

“Ah, good evening, Kaze—” she started, but Gaara shook his head.

“Gaara,” he said. “That will do. Your friends call me that.”

“Oh,” Tenten replied. “Okay then,” she continued, relieved. “Good evening, Gaara. Are you off to somewhere?”

The Kazekage nodded. “I need to meet up with the elders to discuss something.”

“Oh,” Tenten smiled. “Must be hard, being the Kazekage at such a young age.” She looked away, the smile not leaving her lips. “You sure are admirable.”

When she turned to look at the younger shinobi, she was surprised to find a small patch of pink on his cheeks. “Uh, are you okay?”

Gaara shook his head. “I’m sorry,” he said, smiling. “Hearing something like that from other people, it makes me uncomfortable.”

Tenten chuckled. “Really?” she grinned. “I thought you would have gotten used to it by now.” Sighing happily, she continued, “Well, I better get back before Ino gets worried and starts alerting my teammates. Kami knows what Neji will do if he finds out that I’m missing.” She gave Gaara one last smile and waved. “Good night, Gaara. I hope you have a productive meeting with the elders.”

She watched as the Sand shinobi nodded, and off she went, skipping a giddy little skip until she reached her room. She wasn’t sure why, but talking to Gaara and discovering that he was a normal person after all made her happy inside.

_(When she mentioned her brief encounter in passing, over breakfast, she got mixed reactions._

_Lee nodded vigorously, saying how youthful Gaara was for being so reliable._

_Chouji continued munching on some breaded pork, then said that Gaara was mostly misunderstood, but definitely had a good heart._

_Shikamaru eyed Tenten warily, but said nothing._

_Ino squealed, exclaiming that she smelled a romance being born sometime soon._

_Neji, as was characteristic of him, merely glared._

_Gai wasn’t able to join them. If the rumors were to be believed, it was said that the older shinobi was outside the village gates, training with sand gerbils.)_

v.

By the end of two weeks, a couple of things have happened.

Ino managed to drag Kankuro out on a date, much to the surprise of her teammates—and Kankuro himself.

Tenten got her wish for a rematch with Temari, and this time, she wasn’t knocked out cold and humiliated in front of everyone. By the end of the match, Temari’s short-sleeved kimono was inches shorter, her face full of cuts and bruises, and her fan with several noticeable holes in it. Tenten didn’t fare well either—her white top was mutilated so much that she figured she had to buy a new one when they got back to their village, and her arsenal of weapons depleted to a degree that was disturbing—but she kept her ground until the end of the fight. Temari was still the winner, technically, but the Sand kunoichi claimed that it was a draw, since she was supposed to have the upper hand in the match to begin with, what with her fan a great advantage against Tenten’s weapons. Tenten said she didn’t need to be patronized, but Gaara said that she deserved to be considered as good as Temari, and should not think of herself as mere fodder. Tenten blushed beet red, and Ino squealed. Neji and Shikamaru frowned, and Chouji, silent but observant Chouji, chuckled silently in between munching on some pork cracklings.

Gai won almost all the booth games in the festival, shaming not only his team but Team Asuma as well, so much that none of them, save Lee, was willing to walk with him around the village until they left.

Two gatecrashers found their way to the event, but were quickly apprehended, thanks to Shikamaru and Neji. How the two managed to work together was anyone’s guess, but that evening, it was as if the two had the same concerns, both work-wise and personal.

Chouji won an eat-all-you-can-yakiniku contest, but that was expected.

Lee drank half a bottle of sake by mistake, on their last night in the village, and it took Gai, Neji, Chouji and Shikamaru, plus Kankuro and a few other Sand shinobi, to tie him down until he sobered up. Gaara would have helped, except that he was not present during the skirmish.

Tenten was nowhere to be found either.

_(They were on a date._

_If you can call training in the vacant lot near the cemetery a date. The night sky was clear and they were technically under the stars, at least.)_

vi.

Three days after they got back from Suna, a messenger from the village visited them in their training grounds. Only Tenten and Neji were there; Lee was currently scaring the squirrels, and Gai was searching for his eternal rival Kakashi in hopes of challenging him to another match.

“Tenten-san,” the messenger greeted, and the kunoichi had to stop throwing her weapons at the target board above Neji’s head. “I came bearing a message from the Kazekage.”

Tenten threw her kunai on the ground, wiped her hands clean, and accepted the scroll from the messenger with a whispered “thanks.” The messenger made no move to leave; it was obvious he was instructed to wait for a reply. Neji watched silently from behind, and Tenten felt conscious of his stare.

The message was simple. Gaara will make a visit on the morrow, and he was hoping to meet up with her for dinner. Tenten smiled a happy little smile, excited at the prospect of seeing the Kazekage again. Her last “date” with the Sand shinobi was productive; she was able to master a new technique she had been practicing for weeks, and the Kazekage even gave her tips on how to maximize her chances of winning against opponents like Temari.

She quickly told the messenger that she would love to go out with Gaara when he arrives, and the messenger smiled in return, thanked her, and left.

Only when the Sand shinobi was gone did Tenten remember that Neji was still there.

They hadn’t really discussed her evening with Gaara during their last night in Suna, mostly because Tenten wasn’t really sure where she stood with Neji to begin with. They were definitely not an item; the little dance after the daimyo’s ball was a once-in-a-blue-moon event, and the following morning, they went back to their training, as if nothing had happened between them the night before.

She had been relieved, despite her misgivings, when they were given the mission in Suna, because that might make her more certain of her feelings for her best friend, and get clues as to whether Neji felt something for her as well.

Except that Neji had all but avoided her during the two weeks, or was it that she avoided him? She had spent the two weeks either with Lee, Ino, or Shikamaru (which made Neji mad for some reason), or Gaara (which made the Byakugan user madder). The few times she tried to reach out, Neji shot her with a glare that told her it was wise if she stayed away from him for the moment.

And now, here they were, locked in a stalemate, not knowing where they stood with each other, but neither willing to make the first move.

“Sorry about that,” Tenten began quietly, as if weighing her words. “Do you want to spar now?”

Neji nodded quietly, stood up, and dusted himself off.

The rest of the afternoon passed by in a blur, and by the end of it, Tenten found herself standing alone in the clearing, shedding tears. Neji had left a few minutes earlier, after telling her that she could have the day off tomorrow so she could spend the day with the Kazekage.

Something in his voice made her guilty for some reason. That, and the way he brushed off a loose strand of hair from her face and smiled softly, as if he was silently telling her that it was all right, that she didn’t need to explain anything to him.

Tenten wasn’t sure why, but it felt as if Neji had given up on her, even before anything could happen between them.

_(That made her sad, more than she was willing to admit.)_

vii.

Her date with Gaara consisted of eating in Ichiraku, a stroll near the riverbank, and a moment in the tower where Gai first met their team. The view below was beautiful, because the sun had already set and the village lights were on, giving the appearance of multicolored stars. Tenten told Gaara that it was there that she first told her teammates about her dream to be as strong as her idol Tsunade-sama, where she first heard of Lee’s wish to be strong despite his inability to use ninjutsu, where she witnessed firsthand how much of an ass Neji was.

But all of that seemed so long ago, and now, the three of them worked together so well it was almost impossible for others to think of them apart.

Gaara smiled as he listened, and then shared briefly his life story with Tenten—how he grew up knowing that nobody loved him, how angry he had been with everyone, and how Naruto had changed his way of thinking with his words.

They stayed in companionable silence in the tower for a few more minutes, before Gaara broke into her thoughts with a question.

“Tenten?” he started, and Tenten pulled her eyes away from the village lights to look at her date full in the face.

“Yes?”

“Are you all right?”

The kunoichi blinked. “Of course I am,” she answered, confused why Gaara would ask something like that. As far as she was concerned, her day had been close to perfect—she didn’t have to undergo a grueling sparring session with either Neji or Lee (or, heaven forbid, Gai), and she was out with an amazing shinobi who seemed to understand her, or was at least willing to listen to her with genuine interest. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Gaara smiled and shook his head. “You seem sad, that’s all.”

“I . . . am?” Tenten was taken aback. Was she sad? Was there any reason to be? It wasn’t as if she was affected with her little incident with Neji the other day. As she kept telling himself, there was nothing going on between them, so she could go out with anyone she wished, and he could definitely do the same.

So why were tears streaming down her face?

Gaara lifted a hand and gently wiped the tears away. “You don’t even know you’re crying,” he said, smiling kindly.

“I don’t even know _why_ I am,” Tenten managed to answer, chuckling as the tears continued to fall. “You must think I’m crazy.”

The Kazekage shook his head and looked away. “Sometimes, I don’t realize I’m crying, too.”

Tenten grinned, and wiped the last tears from her eyes. She looked back at the beautiful lights below, and heaved a deep sigh. “Well, I guess you’re half-crazy, too.”

That earned her a sincere laugh, so sincere that she ended up laughing as well.

_(Gaara walked her home afterward. She gave him a goodnight kiss on the cheek before she went in, chuckling when she saw the usually cool and composed Kazekage blush brick red, as red as his hair.)_

viii.

“Tenten!” Lee bounced up and down toward her the second she stepped into the clearing. Behind him stood Gai and Neji, apparently discussing something of grave importance. “Did you hear? Did you hear?”

Tenten’s forehead creased. “Hear about what?”

Gai was suddenly behind the younger green beast, tapping his shoulder gently. “Lee, let me tell her.” Beside him stood Neji, looking far more serious than he had ever been.

“What is it?” the kunoichi asked, fear filling her heart.

“Tsunade-sama called me to her office this morning,” Gai started, no hint of amusement in his voice. “It appears as if the Kazekage had made a special request to her late last night.”

“Last night?” Tenten repeated, confused. “But I was with . . .” She spotted Neji frowning, and stopped herself from completing her sentence. Instead, she asked, “What request did he make?”

“He requested for a liaison officer to be relocated permanently in Suna,” Gai answered.

“Liaison officer?” Tenten asked. “But aren’t Temari and Shikamaru the liaison officers for Konoha and Suna? What do they need another officer for?”

From the corner of her eye, she saw Neji’s frown deepened.

“More specifically,” Gai continued, not directly answering Tenten’s question, “He has asked _you_ to fill up the position.”

Tenten stared blankly at her friends. “Me?”

_(“Sometimes I think I want to leave the village for a while, to find myself,” she told him, as they continued staring at the village lights below. “I love Konoha, and my family is here,” she paused, “not my biological family of course, since I’m an orphan, but Gai and Lee and Neji,” her breath hitched for a fraction of a second at the mention of the Hyuuga’s name, “and the rest of my friends are here.” A pause, a sad smile. “But sometimes, I feel as if I don’t know myself anymore, and I want to leave, so I’ll be able to know who I really am.”_

_“Is that the reason why you’re so sad?” Gaara asked, standing beside her, regarding her intently but not unkindly._

_Tenten smiled. “Partly, I guess,” she answered. Then, as an afterthought, “But also,” and she paused long enough to flash Gaara a wide grin, “I think I’m about to be heartbroken real soon.”)_

xi.

“Come in.”

Tenten walked inside the Kazekage’s office, clutching the appointment scroll in her left hand. Gaara regarded her silently as she approached his table.

Then, “You came.”

Tenten nodded. “I did.”

They looked at each other quietly for a couple of seconds, before Tenten placed the scroll on the table.

“And?”

Tenten smiled sadly. “Thank you,” she whispered, “But I have to refuse.”

Gaara didn’t appear to be surprised. “I understand,” he said, taking the scroll and putting it in his table’s topmost drawer. “The offer still stands, should you change your mind.”

Tenten shook her head. “I know,” she answered, her smile only growing sadder. “And I wish I could accept it. Truth be told, I was very much tempted to do so.” She turned and walked toward the window, clutching the hem of her white blouse tightly. “But that meant running away, and I was never good at that.”

From the corner of her eye, she saw Gaara stand up and walk over to where she was standing. Silently, they looked outside, watching as Suna went about her daily routine. It was like Konoha in some ways, but completely different.

“Must be hard, bearing a burden like that at such a young age.”

Tenten turned to look at Gaara, surprised. Gaara faced her, a small smile gracing his lips.

“You sure are admirable.”

_(She was near the gates of her village, on her way back from Suna, when she saw a familiar figure waiting for her._

_The fuzzy wuzzy rabbits came full force, and brought along a hundred butterflies with them._

_“Neji?”_

_The Hyuuga was leaning against the gate, his arms crossed across his chest, but he was smiling at her, and her heart did a double flip, much to her annoyance._

_“You didn’t accept the position.”_

_Tenten shook her head. “Couldn’t leave you to deal with Lee and Gai alone. You’d end up either jyuukken-ing Lee to death, or go bat-shit insane.”_

_Silence. Then, “Tenten.”_

_She offered him a smile, as if saying that it was all right, that he didn’t need to say anything to her. Instead, she took his hand, and grinned mischievously. “Treat me to sesame dumplings?” she asked, hopeful._

_Neji returned her smile and nodded. “As many as you want.”_

_They walked hand in hand back to the village, unmindful of the stares they got from the villagers._

_Tenten knew that come tomorrow, everything would be back to normal, that both she and Neji would act as if nothing had happened between them, that nothing was going on between them. But she realized she didn’t care anymore. It didn’t matter if Neji never reciprocated her feelings the way she wanted to. For her, what mattered was that she was with him—as a friend, a best friend, a comrade whom he trusted with his life._

_She was in love with Neji, she realized finally, but it didn’t matter that he wasn’t in love with her._

_They loved each other enough, after all.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 9 preview:
> 
> Tenten fell in love with another guy after the Fourth Shinobi World War.  
> She didn’t exactly fall out of love of Neji though.  
> And that was the biggest problem of all.
> 
> ***
> 
> I have resurfaced ^_^
> 
> My laptop's been at the service center for two weeks now, so I was kinda lazy editing this chapter since it meant using my old PC uhuhu.
> 
> Thank you all for reading, and I promise to upload again soon (still crossing my fingers I can get my laptop in one week tops).


	9. Nara Shikamaru (reprise)

_She fell in love with another guy after the Fourth Shinobi World War._

_She didn’t exactly fall out of love of Neji though._

_And that was the biggest problem of all._

i.

The Fourth Shinobi World War crept upon them while they were all unawares, and the next thing they knew, they’re assigned to different divisions, turned over to different commanders, made to fight side by side with shinobi they knew little to nothing of.

Tenten, it seemed, got the short end of the stick, as always.

Whereas Lee got teamed up with Gai, Neji got assigned to the division where Hinata, Kiba, and Shino were. She, on the other hand, was stuck with Neji’s uncle and Chouji’s father, both seasoned fighters, but nevertheless held no bond with her.

In a manner of speaking, Tenten, as always, ended up alone.

So it was almost a relief when her squad met up with the division that Shikamaru was leading. The war was only going to get uglier, so Shikamaru’s serious-yet-lazy face, Chouji’s worried-but-concerned half-frown, heck, even Ino’s there-is-a-war-but-I’m-still-beautiful smirk, were a welcomed sight.

She couldn’t help but wish that it was Neji’s squad that got mixed up with hers though.

But beggars couldn’t be choosers.

_(“Well, this is it,” she said, smiling a small smile, hoping that her eyes wouldn’t betray her. In front of her stood Neji, and to their side, Gai and Lee are doing some youthful stretching exercises. They were at the outskirts of the battlefield, on their way to their respective divisions. She guessed it was about the right time to say their farewells, so to speak._

_“I’ll see you after this is over, ‘kay?” She tried to hide the shaking in her voice, because for all her fake optimism, she was very much afraid. Frightened that she might not survive the war, or worse, that one of her boys might end up dead._

_“Of course!” Lee boomed beside her, giving her a thumbs up. “Youth will always prevail!”_

_Gai grinned in response, blinding all of them momentarily with his sparkling teeth. Then, putting his hand in front of them, he started with his infamous battle cry, “Team Gai . . .”_

_Lee immediately took his place beside their sensei, placing his right hand on top of Gai’s. And although embarrassed, Tenten felt a sudden surge of affection for the twin bowl-cuts in green spandex. She placed her left hand on top of Lee’s, giving it a little squeeze. To her surprise, Neji placed his right hand on top of hers, before Gai had to force him. Turning to her best friend, she watched as Neji offered her an exasperated little smile, as if telling her there was no getting around it anyway so might as well do it and get it over with. Tenten flashed him a small smile of gratitude._

_“Team Gai . . .” Gai began, and Lee followed each call with a “Yosh!” Both Tenten and Neji chose to keep quiet, as was typical of them._

_“Fight with the power of youth!”_

_The two Konoha green beasts blitzed toward the direction of their division, and Tenten was about to charge toward hers, except that she realized her hand was stuck . . . enclosed in Neji’s grasp._

_“Neji?” she half-gasped, stopping herself from stumbling forward. Neji caught her in mid-fall. “What are you . . .”_

_“You come back in one piece, okay?” Neji said suddenly, locking gray eyes with brown. Tenten felt her heart shudder in her chest; it wasn’t in Neji’s nature to remind her to be careful before she goes on a mission or fight without him._

_“Of course,” she barely managed to whisper. “You, too.”_

_And Neji smiled, squeezed her hand affectionately, and whispered back, “That’s a promise.”)_

ii.

When she came to, hours after almost dying from loss of too much chakra, she found Ino hovering above her cot.

“Ino?” she murmured, unsure why the Yamanaka heiress was watching over her when there was a war going on.

“Finally,” Ino said, relieved. “I thought you were down for the count until the end of the day.”

“What happened?” Tenten asked, pushing herself up to sit down.

Ino gently pushed her back before she could go very far. “You used too much chakra,” she said by way of explanation. “One of the shinobi from the Sand brought you here for recuperation.”

“Here?” Tenten took a look around, and realized that she was in a medics’ tent, together with several other injured shinobi. “Oh.”

“Yes. Oh,” the younger kunoichi replied, shaking her head. “Seriously. Must you be so troublesome?”

Tenten couldn’t help but chuckle. “My,” she said, “Shika’s been rubbing off on you, it appears.”

Ino made a face. “Can’t help it. Been with him for far too long it’s almost a bother,” she answered, checking Tenten’s pulse. “Well, you should be fine soon. Just rest a bit more, and you’ll be good as new. I need to go back to the field. Chouji and Shikamaru are waiting.” A pause. “Speaking of Shika, that guy’s really worried about you.” Ino shook her head, snickered, and whispered to herself, “He’s got it pretty deep, that one.”

Tenten frowned. She would blame it on loss on chakra, but Ino’s words made absolutely no sense. “What’s wrong with Shika?”

Ino stared at her for a couple of seconds, unmoving. Finally, she shook her head again and chuckled, “Seriously, Tenten, you’re older than me, but you’re completely clueless when it comes to things like these.”

Tenten’s frown only deepened. “Things like what?”

Ino chuckled once more. “Not for me to tell you,” she said, patting Tenten’s shoulder kindly. “I really need to go. Come back when you can stand up. We need as many people in the field as possible. War’s not getting any easier.”

Tenten nodded slowly and watched the other kunoichi leave the tent. After Ino had left, Tenten rolled to her side, closed her eyes, and muttered, “Troublesome.”

_(More troublesome things would happen before the war was over._

_More troublesome than the war itself, it seemed.)_

iii.

She was up and about less than an hour after Ino had left. Back in the field, she was updated via her squadmates about the status of the war. It wasn’t pretty news, but then again, nothing was pretty about a war.

Spotting Team Asuma a few feet away, Tenten headed toward them immediately.

“Tenten!” Chouji was the first to see her, and he flashed her one of his sincere smiles that Tenten had become so fond of. “You’re all right!”

Tenten returned his smile. “’Course I am,” she answered. “I’m a member of Team Gai. It’ll take more than chakra depletion to get me out of a battlefield.” And she suddenly longed for her teammates, her friends, and offered a silent prayer for their safety.

Shikamaru frowned.

“What?” Tenten asked, Ino’s earlier statement coming back to her. _He’s got it pretty deep, that one._

“Don’t ever do that again.”

Tenten blinked. “What?”

But before she could press on, Shikamaru had already turned his back on her. Tenten would have smacked him, but Ino placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her head quietly. “He’s under a lot of pressure,” the younger kunoichi whispered. “Plus he’s been especially worried about you.”

“He shouldn’t be,” Tenten huffed. “I can take care of myself. I’m not his responsibility or anything.”

She got a small, meaningful smile from the Yamanaka girl in response.

_(“Seriously, you didn’t have to walk me to my squad,” Tenten protested as she and Neji stood at the side of the First Division. “I know how to find my way around, you know.”_

_“I know,” Neji answered simply, but still, he stood there, smiling his small smile reserved only for her. “We have a few minutes before I’m required to be in mine. I’ll stay here with you until then.”_

_Tenten, for all the worry she was feeling, couldn’t help but chuckle. “Getting sentimental, aren’t we?” she said. “Not that I’m complaining. I barely know anyone in this team, save for your uncle and Chouji’s dad.” Then, looking faraway suddenly, “But I guess that’s a good thing? Not seeing your friends get hurt in battle? I guess there’s an advantage to being alone.”_

_The weapons’ expert suddenly felt Neji’s hand on her shoulder, and when she turned to face him once again, his face was stone serious. “Don’t ever say that again.”_

_Tenten blinked. “What?”_

_Neji squeezed her shoulder, as if trying to give her strength. “You’re never alone. We may be in different divisions, but we’re still Team Gai, together or apart.”_

_Tenten would have thrown her arms around Neji that very instant, but she figured that aside from being improperly timed because of the situation, her best friend would be mightily embarrassed about it. So she settled for a smile and squeezed Neji’s hand in return._

_“Thank you.”)_

iv.

The onslaught of Zetsu pretending to be shinobi put a strain in the ranks. They were forced to stay in circles until reinforcements, a.k.a. Naruto, arrived. Several chunnin were tasked to make the circles and assign random ninjas in them, but Tenten got the proxy division commander making her lot for her.

“Wow, special treatment,” she chuckled, trying to lighten up Shikamaru’s sour mood. “I can make my own circle, you know.”

The Nara genius _tched,_ and Tenten grinned. When the circle was finished, Tenten stepped inside, and offered Shikamaru a warm smile.

“I’m sorry for making you worry.”

Shikamaru, for his part, frowned. “Just don’t do it again.”

Tenten raised her right arm in mock pledge. “Aye, captain.” Then, “Thank you, though. It feels good to know that someone is concerned for my well-being.”

The shadow jutsu expert started at her for a couple of seconds, and just when Tenten was about to apologize for sounding silly, he said, “Are you and Neji going out?”

Tenten blushed beet red at the question. “What?” she blubbered. “What kind of question is that? We’re in the middle of the war, Shika!”

But Shika appeared to not hear her, and continued waiting for a more appropriate response.

“We’re not,” the kunoichi answered, after calming down a bit. “Seriously, of all the random things you could have asked . . .”

“Good.”

Tenten stopped in mid-sentence, and stared back at her friend. “Good?”

“Because I plan to ask you out after all of this is over.”

Ino’s words suddenly echoed in her head, and finally, they made sense. _He’s got it pretty deep, that one._

Tenten’s face turned red once again, and she tried to come up with a half-witty response. The shinobi beat her to it.

“It’s troublesome, I know, but I’m beginning to realize you’re worth all that trouble.”

_(Tenten realized, later, that she was really happy to hear from a guy that she was worth the trouble for anything. Neji never told her that, not even once, though she firmly believed, or at least hoped, that he shared the same sentiments._

_He might not be in love with her, but they were best friends, right?)_

v.

Shikamaru made good of his promise.

_(They were in Ichiraku, her team and the rest of the Konoha 11, celebrating their victory over the Akatsuki, when Shikamaru, who was seated at the farthest chair from her, suddenly stood up, and walked to her side. She was flanked by Neji to her left and Lee to her right, but it appeared as if Shikamaru did not care._

_“Tenten.”_

_Looking up from her sesame dumplings, Tenten saw a determination in Shikamaru’s eyes that she almost never sees._

Oh no, _was the first thought that came to her, unbidden._ Not here, please. Not in front of them all.

_“Can I talk to you in private?”_

_Tenten almost breathed a sigh of relief. She was thankful that it wasn’t in Shikamaru’s character to be so blatantly open about his feelings, especially not in public. She was about to nod when a half-drunk Ino squealed, “Oh just tell her you love her in front of everyone, idiot!”_

_Both Tenten and Shikamaru blushed beet red._

_Half of the guys—Kiba, Naruto, Lee—dropped their jaws, while Chouji, Shino, and Sai remained quiet—Shino with his face hidden as always, Sai smiling that creepy smile of his, and Chouji munching on a pork crackling. Ino giggled like a fangirl, while Sakura looked warily at her and Hinata tried to hush her down._

_Neji, for his part, had his Byakugan on the ready._

_Finally, Shikamaru closed his eyes in exasperation, and just when Tenten thought the worst was over, the younger shinobi opened his eyes, smirked warily at her, and said, “Ino already made my confession for me, so might as well go with a bang.” And with a genuine smile, unmindful of Neji’s death glare, Shikamaru continued, “Will you go out with me, Tenten?”_

_All eyes on her, except Neji’s—he was currently trying to impale Shikamaru with his glare—Tenten felt the need to give a response. So a response she gave._

_“Yes?”)_

vi.

She fell in love with the lazy genius somewhere along the way.

_(She didn’t exactly fall out of love with Neji, though.)_

vii.

“I . . . won?”

Tenten stared incredulously at the shogi board in front of her, blinking. Opposite her sat a slightly smirking Shikamaru, who appeared to be trying to hide his chuckle.

“What are you laughing at?” Tenten growled.

Shikamaru shrugged. “You’re not the first one to beat me at shogi, you know,” he answered. “Don’t act too surprised.”

Tenten narrowed her eyes. “You didn’t just let me win, did you?”

The Nara boy _tched._ “Of course not.”

They were in the middle of Team Gai’s usual training grounds, wasting time before Tenten’s next sparring session with Neji. They already played five rounds, and the shinobi won four out of the five. It wasn’t surprising that Tenten found her first win suspicious. Still, she let it pass. It wasn’t every day that one won against Nara Shikamaru against a game of shogi, no matter how rigged the outcome was. Let him think he could patronize her. One day, she’ll beat him for real.

“Well,” Tenten said, collecting the game pieces and hiding it in one of her scrolls, “You better go, I guess. Neji will be here any minute.”

The Nara genius offered her a wry smile. “Afraid that he’ll find out about us?”

Tenten paused and looked at her companion, trying to gauge if he was serious or not. After a while, she shrugged, a small grin hidden behind her lips. “Neji already _knows._ Heck, half of the village knows. How could they not? You weren’t exactly discreet when you made your confession six months ago.”

“Oi,” Shikamaru butted in, cheeks sporting a suspicious shade of pink, “Ino made the confession, not me.”

Ever playful, Tenten tilted her head to the side and said, “So I guess I’m going out with the wrong person then.”

Shikamaru _tched_ once more and scratched the back of his head.

“I know,” the weapons’ mistress cut in before he could say anything. “I’m troublesome.”

“Bah,” Shikamaru answered. “Well, I’m going then.” He stood up, dusted himself, and started walking off.

Tenten watched the lazy shinobi quietly for a few seconds before she stood up and jogged after him. “Hey,” she called out. “I was only kidding.” She offered him a sincere little smile, and when Shikamaru returned the grin, she found her stomach flip-flopping in return.

“I know,” he said, taking her left hand and squeezing it. “I’ll see you tonight for dinner?”

Tenten nodded in agreement. Then, as an afterthought, “Or you can pick me up here right after my session with Neji.”

Shikamaru grinned so widely that Tenten couldn’t help but smile herself. “Is that a yes?” she asked, hopeful, her heart beating out of rhythm.

“Definitely,” Shikamaru answered, and, to Tenten’s surprise, he bent down, and planted a quick, little kiss on her lips.

Tenten blinked at the contact. Funny tingles crept up and down her spine, and then zoomed to her toes in one big whoosh! She watched as Shikamaru smirked triumphantly, as if he won another game of shogi against her. She, in turn, chuckled and smacked him on the shoulder playfully. “Next time, let me know when you’re going to do that, so I can return the favor!”

Shikamaru shook his head in amusement, and before leaving, whispered, “You really are quite troublesome.”

_(Neji arrived a couple of minutes later, face devoid of emotion, but it appeared as if he just came from a fight. Tenten watched him, curious, but didn’t ask any questions._

_She had her suspicions, but it was something she’d rather not confirm.)_

viii.

Shikamaru sported an obvious bruise on the side of his face when he came back to pick her up from her session that afternoon.

Neji had already left when the Nara boy arrived.

Tenten feared that her suspicions were confirmed.

_(For his part, Shikamaru denied any prodding that Tenten made about him having a fight with a certain Hyuuga. He said he fell down a tree branch while taking a nap. Tenten wanted to believe him, but she knew for a fact that the genius had taken countless naps on tree branches and has not, not once, fallen.)_

ix.

“Ten.”

The kunoichi turned to her boyfriend of eight months as they were both sprawled on the riverbank, lazily watching the clouds.

“Hmm?” She was a little sleepy, but she was by then used to the fact that afternoons with Shikamaru usually consisted of cloud gazing, games of shogi, and well, just lazing around. Truth be told, she welcomed the change in routine; for years, she had to endure rigorous training with her team in and out the field. To have someone who was not so gung-ho on youth and training themselves to death was something she truly appreciated.

“Do you regret it?”

Opening a sleepy eye, she turned to her companion. “Huh?”

Shikamaru, with his arms crossed under his head, was watching the clouds, his face peaceful, yet troubled. “Going out with me. Do you regret it?”

The kunoichi frowned. “Did you get your head knocked somewhere this morning?”

The shinobi turned to her, eyes all seriousness. “Do you?”

“Should I?”

A pause. Then, “Will you stop answering my questions with questions?”

A chuckle. “Does it bother you?”

The Nara boy _tched,_ and went back to watching the clouds. After a couple of seconds, he said, almost a whisper it was a wonder how Tenten heard it, “Troublesome woman.”

“I heard that!” Tenten chuckled, slapping Shikamaru’s chest playfully. The shinobi caught her hand and, to Tenten’s surprise, kept it on top of his chest. “Do you still love him?”

Tenten’s face paled. Her boyfriend did not mention any name, but both knew who he was talking about. She was a little annoyed; what answer did he expect? Was he hoping that she’d say no, she was not in love with her best friend anymore? Was she _not_ in love with Neji anymore? It was something she refused to think of, ever since the day she told Neji that she and Shikamaru were officially together. What did it matter? Neji didn’t fight for her, probably because there was nothing to fight for. Maybe she was right all along, that Neji saw her as his comrade, his best friend, but nothing more. Was she supposed to delude herself into thinking that the Hyuuga felt at least a fraction of what she felt for him? Was she . . .

“Ten.”

Tenten blinked, her train of thought interrupted. Only then did she notice that she was gripping Shikamaru’s chest tightly, and the Nara genius was wincing.

“Oh,” she said, releasing her grip and pulling her hand away. Turning away, she instead focused her sight on the still waters before them, willing them to calm her rapidly beating heart.

“It was a simple yes or no question.” Shikamaru said it so matter-of-factly, yet Tenten knew he was straining to get the words out.

“What does it matter?” she whispered, eyes still on the river. “I chose you, didn’t I?” But was there really a choice to make?

Silence.

Then, “I’m not asking you to stop loving him.” This made Tenten turn, and when she did, she found that Shikamaru was smiling at her, was that, affectionately?

“What?” She barely got the word out.

Shikamaru answered by reaching out his hand and touching Tenten’s cheek gently. “I’m just asking you to try loving me, too.”

And she stared at the shinobi, the boy who took a chance and told her of his feelings, even when he knew she was in love with someone else, and her heart constricted to such a degree she thought it was impossible for her to breathe the same way again. So she cradled the hand on her cheek, and she offered him a smile that she used to reserve for Neji, and Neji alone, and she told him in her most sincere voice what she really felt for him.

“But I love you, too.”

_(“Shikamaru asked me if he could be my boyfriend.” A pause. “You know, officially.”_

_She was met with silence, but she had expected that already. What was she expecting, really? She had long accepted the fact that she and Neji could never be, mostly because her best friend didn’t feel for her what she felt for him. Still, she felt she needed to tell him personally, because he was bound to know sooner or later. Might as well do it herself than let him hear it from the grapevine. And Yamanaka Ino being Shikamaru’s teammate—and probably their love team’s number one fangirl—it was impossible for Neji not to know. It was a sort of closure for her as well, a way of getting over Neji for good._

_Still, she was a little disappointed at the lack of response. Sighing, she gathered what remained of her weapons and tried to end their session with a light note. “Well, I’m off,” she said, waving at the Hyuuga. “See you tomorrow?”_

_“Tenten.”_

_She paused in mid-wave, blinking, surprised that Neji said_ anything.

_“Yeah?”_

_“Do you love him?”_

_Another blink. Of all the weird things Neji could ask, she found that his question was the weirdest one of them all. Still, how was she supposed to answer him? He’d know if she was lying; he could almost always figure out if she was trying to hide something from him. Which was ironic, because how could he not know that she was in love with him?_

_“He loves me.” It was as honest an answer as she could give, because, well, did she love Shikamaru? She was sure she liked him well enough to go out with him on a regular basis, but did that automatically translate into love?_

_She thought not._

_“That’s good enough for now,” Neji said, and again, Tenten felt disappointed. So he didn’t love her that way after all._

_“Yeah, I guess.” Her answer came as a whisper, because at that very moment, she felt like she was about ready to cry._

_“I’m going home now,” Neji said._

_Tenten whispered a silent “okay” and hurriedly turned around so her best friend would not see her tears._

_She was about to leave herself when she felt Neji’s hand on her shoulder._

_“Would your boyfriend mind if I walk you home?”_

_And despite it all, Tenten couldn’t help but chuckle. Turning to face Neji, she answered, “I think he’d probably find it too troublesome to be jealous of you.”_

_And Neji smiled, and he took her hand, and she did not pull it away. “I’ll take my chances then,” he said. “You’re worth the trouble, after all.”)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 10 preview:
> 
> Tenten’s first heartbreak had nothing to do with Neji whatsoever.  
> Or maybe it did.  
> But not directly.


	10. Nara Shikamaru (encore)

_Tenten’s first heartbreak had nothing to do with Neji whatsoever._

_Or maybe it did._

_But not directly._

i.

Tenten was finally awarded Jounin status a year after the Fourth Great Shinobi World War. She was the last one in her team who received the distinction—Lee had received it a month after the war, for his exemplar performance in the field. The Green Beast did not want the position at first, not if it meant leaving Tenten as the sole Chunnin in their little circle, but Tenten convinced him that it was best if he did. Besides, she was sure to catch up with the rest of them sooner or later. She always did, didn’t she?

And catch up with them she did, after one long year of laboriously working her ass off to prove her worth, enough to receive a nomination for the position. And she did her best during the exams, because she knew her friends were cheering in the sidelines—she could literally hear Lee and Gai scream “Go Tenten! Show them the power of youth!” every now and then—and she’d be damned if she failed them.

That, and she promised Shikamaru, who was granted Jounin position alongside Lee, that she will make him proud of her.

_(Shikamaru told her, frowning that ridiculously charming frown of his, that he was already proud of her, Jounin status or not._

_It only made Tenten try even harder.)_

ii.

She saw her four boys outside the Hokage’s office after her appointment. Gai and Lee immediately rushed toward her and enveloped her in a bear hug, almost cutting off her oxygen supply.

“Tenten! You did it! You’re a jounin now!” Lee was saying, bouncing up and down.

Tears were streaming down Gai’s cheeks. “I am so proud of you, Tenten!” he said, and she’d never admit it to anyone, but Tenten’s heart soar when she heard Gai’s words.

“I really appreciate your enthusiasm over this,” Tenten half-chuckled, half whizzed. “But I am sort of having a hard time breathing.”

“Get off her, you fools,” Neji growled from behind, and the two Green Beasts promptly let go of the kunoichi.

It took a couple of seconds before Tenten could catch her breath. And then, “Thanks, Neji.”

The Hyuuga smirked, the side of his eyes crinkling in an expression of happiness and pride. “Didn’t want you to suffocate on your first day on the job.”

Tenten laughed.

“Yosh! We should celebrate this joyous occasion by training!” Gai suddenly burst out, pumping his fist up in the air. “Tenten, let’s run around Konoha five hundred times!”

The new Jounin sweatdropped. “Uh, I think I’ll pass.”

“I’ll go with you, Gai-sensei!”

“Lee! Truly you understand the meaning of youth more than anyone else!”

“Gai-sensei!”

“Lee!”

“Gai-sensei!”

Three pairs of eyes followed their retreating forms, not wondering for the first time where the waves crashing on the beach and the sunset came from.

Finally, “So, I’ll see you tonight.”

Tenten blinked. “Tonight?”

Neji raised an eyebrow. “You heard them. This is a night for celebration. We already have reservations. Gai made sure of that.” Then, turning to Shikamaru, his smirk slipped off a little. “You may come, too.”

The Nara heir did not respond, but the Hyuuga waited for none anyway. He walked away, leaving Tenten and Shikamaru alone, finally.

After a few seconds of silence, “Well? Aren’t you going to congratulate me?”

Shikamaru _tched,_ cupped Tenten’s chin, and planted a small kiss on her lips. “Congratulations,” he murmured, smirking, his lips inches away from hers.

Tenten blinked, and effectively smacked Shikamaru on the head. “I didn’t mean like _that_!”

At the same moment, Tenten suddenly felt an eerie feeling, like somebody was watching them, somebody who was not at all pleased with what he saw, and was sending wave after wave of dark energy their way.

Tenten quickly turned around and scanned the surrounding area, but saw no one.

_(Shikamaru told her, much later, that he sensed the same oppressing presence._

_What he failed to say was that he had a pretty good guess where that bad vibe came from.)_

iii.

The first mission she had as a jounin, she was paired up with Shikamaru to retrieve a set of valuable scrolls from a neighboring village.

Why the mission needed two jounins did not become clear to her until they were surrounded by a dozen enemy nin on their way back to Konoha.

Tenten and Shikamaru were able to defeat all the rogue nins, but not with the same efficiency as it would have had Tenten fought side by side with Neji or Lee (or, better yet, both), or Shikamaru with Chouji and Ino. Still, they made a pretty good team, all things considering—Tenten took care of the long-range attacks and Shikamaru the mid-range ones, and even created combo moved using Shikamaru’s shadows and Tenten’s chakra wires and kunai.

Unfortunately, by the end of the fight, Tenten’s chakra was almost at base zero, and Shikamaru had to carry her all the way back to Konoha before she lost consciousness for good.

_(It was Neji she saw when she woke up in the hospital, half a day later._

_He was on a chair beside her bed, watching her with pale gray eyes._

_“You’re awake.”_

_“Hey,” Tenten answered, voice raspy. “Shika?”_

_She saw Neji frown a little, but still, he gave an answer. “Debriefing with the Hokage. He left an hour ago.”_

_“Oh,” Tenten replied. Then, chuckling uneasily. “I overdid it, didn’t I?”_

_“You did.”_

_“I’m sorry,” she squeaked, hiding her face behind her blanket. It wasn’t the first time she used up too much chakra during a mission, but it was the first time Neji wasn’t there, not counting the incident during the war. He never scolded her, not once, never gave a reprimand whatsoever, but she’d always catch him looking at her from behind, with that aggravated yet worried expression on his face._

_It was the same expression he wore that very moment._

_“You will never learn, will you?” Neji’s tone was exasperated, to say the least._

_Tenten hid further back in her makeshift shield._

_Just then, she heard the chair being pushed back, and when she risked a peek, she saw Neji standing up, poised to leave. “I better go,” he started. “I’ll just see you when you get better . . .”_

_“Wait!” On instinct, Tenten grabbed Neji’s wrist, earning a raised eyebrow from the jyukken expert. “Can you . . . stay?” Hand still around his wrist, she continued, “I’ve missed you. We never seem to see each other anymore.”_

_“I just saw you before you left for your mission two days ago.”_

_“But . . . we never to talk anymore.”_

_“We’re talking now.”_

_“Neji,” she said, exasperated herself. “Don’t be difficult.”_

_A small smirk appeared on the corner of Neji’s right lip, and he sat down on the side of Tenten’s bed, gently pulling her hand away from his wrist and enclosing it in his own. Tenten felt the fuzzy wuzzy bunnies in her chest doing marathons, and she tried her best to fight down a blush._

_It still surprised her that Neji could make her feel_ that _way, even when she has been dating Shikamaru for so long._

_Tenten watched as Neji’s smirk disappeared, and was replaced by a more genuine smile._

_“I missed you, too.”)_

iv.

Sakura came to her room an hour after Neji had left and asked her if Shikamaru had gone as well.

Tenten said she never saw Shikamaru come in.

Sakura frowned and answered that Shikamaru had been in the hospital two hours ago, and he specifically told her that he was going to Tenten’s room.

_(The first crack in their relationship—the biggest one—quietly appeared.)_

v.

Tenten’s second mission as a jounin was executed more efficiently—she was with her old teammates, after all. That did not mean the group had come out of it unscathed, but at least this time, she only had to use Neji as her human crutch, while Lee limped behind them, his leg weights tucked in safely in his bag.

Shikamaru was waiting for them outside the Konoha gates, a frown affixed on his face.

“Shika?” Tenten whispered. “What are you doing here?”

“I heard you’re due back today,” he said, walking toward them, lifting her left arm and slinging it around his shoulder. “I’ll take you to the hospital.”

“I can take care of that,” Neji’s cold voice answered from Tenten’s other end, tugging at Tenten a bit.

“I don’t mind doing it,” replied the Nara heir, pulling the kunoichi to his side.

“I don’t mind either,” answered the Hyuuga genius. Another tug.

Pale gray eyes clashed with brown, until finally, Tenten whacked both heads for good measure.

“Seriously,” she huffed, pulling herself away from them, “I’ll end up more injured, hanging between you two.” Then, turning to her other friend, “Come on Lee, let’s have that limp checked.”

“But Tenten, I’m perfectly fine—” Lee paused in midsentence, frozen on the spot by Tenten’s glare. “Of course! We must make sure you’re not hurt, youthful flower!” And he allowed himself to be dragged away, but not before risking a glance at the two geniuses, both glaring sullenly at their retreating forms.

_(The second crack appeared, more noticeable than the first.)_

vi.

Shikamaru was outside the hospital when Tenten exited the building.

“Don’t,” she snapped, still annoyed at him. “I’m far too tired to deal with you being troublesome right now.”

At least the Nara looked apologetic. “I was only going to walk you home.”

Tenten paused, frowning at her boyfriend. Then, “How many times do I need to tell you that you don’t have to compete with Neji in any way?”

“I wasn’t.”

“Oh really?”

“You’re being troublesome again.”

“I’m being troublesome? I’m not the one who made it his life goal to make my best friend his new eternal rival. And I thought Lee was over the top.”

“Ten.”

“Don’t ‘Ten’ me,” she almost hissed. “Neji _is_ my best friend. Deal with it.”

The shadow manipulator looked away and rubbed the back of his head, but said nothing. The silence stretched for seconds, with Tenten glaring and Shikamaru discreetly looking at the clouds.

Finally, Tenten sighed. “So, are you going to take me home or are you going to stand there all afternoon, muttering about how troublesome I can be?”

And Shikamaru _tched_ , but he turned to look at Tenten, offered her a small smile, and apologized. Apologized, took her hand, and walked her home.

_(For a while, Tenten thought things would change for the better._

_They didn’t.)_

vii.

Tenten’s third mission as a jounin almost ended in disaster.

She was teamed up with Neji, Shikamaru and Ino, to scout enemy territory at the other side of the border of Fire Country. It was theoretically the best team for the job—Shikamaru and Ino worked well together, especially for reconnaissance assignments, and the Neji/Tenten tandem was one of the best pairs in Konoha in terms of combat abilities. The former pair can focus on gathering intel, while the latter can take care of any enemy nin that will block their path.

Except that Shikamaru and Neji would not speak to each other unless it was absolutely necessary, and Ino kept on giggling at what she called the love triangle of the century, and Tenten wanted nothing more than to finish the mission so she could go home and train with Lee, who was becoming pretty much the sanest person she knew at the moment.

Then all hell broke loose, and the two shinobi decided too late to cooperate, because by the time their backup reached them, Ino had been rendered unconscious, Tenten’s left arm was broken in two places, Shikamaru could barely stand because of loss of chakra, and Neji was the only one fending off the enemy nin, despite the condition of his hands from using the Gentle Fist one time too many.

_(The mission was a failure._

_Ino was in a coma for a week. Tenten’s arm had to be put in a cast, and the Godaime commanded her not to do any strenuous activity for a month. Neji found himself with three broken fingers, and could not use his jutsu for two weeks. Shikamaru, who was the least injured among the four, spent the week either visiting Tenten or Ino in the hospital, or camping out in the Nara forest._

_He did not go cloud watching for a month.)_

viii.

“Ten.”

The kunoichi flexed her left arm, testing it out, before summoning a kunai and deftly throwing it to a random target board in Team Asuma’s training ground. The Hokage finally had her cast removed, on the condition that she would not overexert herself by throwing too many weapons at the same time. “Hm?”

Silence followed, and Tenten spent a couple of minutes throwing kunai using her right arm, not wanting to force her left and thus earn the wrath of her lifetime idol.

“Are you happy?”

The weapons’ expert paused, and cocked her head to the side. Raising an eyebrow, she regarded Shikamaru with curious eyes. “What?”

“Are you happy?”

Tenten grinned. “Of course I am!” she chuckled. “I can finally start going to missions again!” She summoned a new kunai, and threw it toward Shikamaru, missing his ear by a few centimeters. The weapon hit the bull’s eye on the board behind the shadow manipulator. Shikamaru blinked, but otherwise showed no other reaction. For a fraction of a second, Neji’s image came unbidden in her mind, and Tenten recalled how he wouldn’t even blink whenever she threw a weapon his way.

“I didn’t mean that.”

Tenten creased her forehead. She walked to where Shikamaru was standing, and poked his forehead. “Then what do you mean?”

Shikamaru regarded her quietly, and Tenten realized that that her boyfriend was _serious._ “Hey,” she said, holding the Nara’s arm gently. “What’s wrong?”

Shikamaru touched Tenten’s cheek lightly, and pulled her toward him. Before she could even blink, her lips were against his, but unlike the other times he kissed her, Shikamaru did not pull away after a quick peck. Her eyes widened for a couple of seconds, but she, too, closed her eyes, the hand around his arm tightening a little, her other hand finding its way on Shikamaru’s shoulder.

When Shikamaru did pull away, he rested his forehead against Tenten’s. Eyes still closed, Tenten relished the moment, willing the seconds to go by slowly. A small smile escaped her lips, and she allowed Shikamaru to hold both her hands and enclose them in his own.

“I was very happy to be with you,” Shikamaru whispered, and Tenten’s heart leapt in joy.

Before she realized that Shikamaru was talking in the past tense.

 _“Was?”_ On instinct, Tenten pushed Shikamaru away, her brown eyes widening in confusion.

Shikamaru smiled a small sad smile, and Tenten felt her heart plummet down her stomach. She took a step backward, and shook her head, wanting Shikamaru to not say whatever he was about to say. But the Nara heir held both Tenten’s hands firmly, and Tenten felt her heart shatter in her chest even before Shikamaru could say a single word.

“I’m letting you go.”

_(“Neji! No!”_

_Tenten’s yell pierced the air, but it did not stop the Hyuuga from charging toward the enemy, even when his left index finger was broken and his chakra was running low._

_Beside her, Ino lay unconscious, using what was left of her chakra to send a message to their village, requesting for immediate backup for their team. Shikamaru was a little to her right, holding off five enemy nin with his shadow jutsu._

_Tenten, her left arm broken from fending off an attack meant for Ino, immediately stood up and rushed after her best friend._

_“Tenten, stop!” she heard Shikamaru yell, but she paid him no mind. She’d be damned if she let Neji fight on his own, especially in his current condition._

_Summoning an array of weapons from her scroll, she quickly threw it toward the five incoming ninjas, throwing them back in time for Neji to jyuukken the two remaining enemy nin. The weapon mistress reached Neji’s side to block off an attack coming from his blind spot. Both Neji and Shikamaru watched in horror as Tenten thwarted the attack by showering the opponent with a barrage of shurikens, but not before his own weapon—a metal chain ball surrounded by spikes—crashed against her already broken arm._

_Blinded by pain, Tenten barely noticed Neji catching her before she hit the ground. She heard Shikamaru yelling her name, but she was so focused on Neji’s agonized eyes on her._

_“Tenten!” she heard him call her, “Tenten!”_

_“Neji,” she managed to say, wincing as the pain on her left side spread to every point of her body. “You’re okay.”_

_“I am,” Neji answered, byakugan eyes on the ready as another onslaught of enemies drew near. “Don’t worry. I got you.”_

_She managed a grin despite the pain. “I know.”)_

ix.

Neji found her in their usual training ground, throwing senbon after senbon on a row of tree trunks approximately thirty yards away from her. When her senbons ran out, she summoned all her kunai, and when they were gone, the shurikens came next. She had thrown her third battle axe and was about to summon her katana when Neji finally called her attention.

“Lee will be upset if you destroy the squirrels’ home.”

Dropping the katana, Tenten heaved a huge intake of breath, clenched her left hand, and half-turned to where her best friend was standing. She tried to offer him a grin, but the smile she managed was small, pained, and mingled with unshed tears. “Hey,” she whispered, her voice cracking.

Neji’s face remained stoic, but Tenten could see the concern in his eyes. “Something happened.” It was a statement, not a question, and Tenten wished nothing more that Neji was not so good in reading her. Not that it would be hard to realize that something was off, with her looking dishelved like that.

“He broke up with me.” She said it so easily, even forced a grin to stop herself from shedding tears. Still, her heart remained broken in her chest, and she barely noticed that Neji had stood near her. She only realized he was so close when she felt his hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she locked eyes with him, wondering what he was thinking. He remained silent, but his eyes were questioning, and behind them, she saw the anger he felt for Shikamaru.

Finally, a sob escaping her lips, she asked him something she never thought she would, not in a million years.

“Can I ask for a hug?”

She was half-expecting Neji to refuse, but to her great relief, the Hyuuga prodigy obliged and pulled her close, locking her in his embrace.

“I got my heart broken, Neji. It hurts more than I thought it would,” she sobbed softly, so softly she wasn’t expecting Neji to hear her. But his hold on her tightened, and in the muddled aftermath of her tears, she wondered if Neji had planted a small kiss on the top of her head.

She buried her face in Neji’s chest, clinging to him as if that will give her strength, as if that will heal her broken heart.

_(Her heart did heal, but not as fast as she hoped.)_

x.

“Hey.”

A pause. “Hey.”

“Can I join you?”

Silence.

Taking his silence as a yes, Tenten sat down next to him, then looked up the sky in search of familiar patterns in the clouds. She spotted one that looked like a pineapple.

“That one looks like your head.”

She got a _tch_ in response. “Aren’t you going to say I’m troublesome or something?”

An exasperated sigh, as Tenten waited quietly for a response. Still nothing.

Sighing, Tenten stood up and stretched her arms upward. “Well, I’m off,” she whispered, sparing the pineapple cloud one last glance. The pineapple morphed into a bird in midflight, and Tenten raised an eyebrow in amusement.

Finally, she heard him stir. “Ten.”

“Hm?” Tenten answered, her back facing the Nara heir.

A long silence, and she almost gave up, until an answer she finally got.

“Are you happy?”

It was Tenten’s turn to be silent. For a long time she just stood there, thinking. Finally, she turned around to face Shikamaru one more time, and smiled.

“Yes,” she answered, and watched as Shikamaru mirrored her grin. “I think I am.”

 _(“He said he wants me to be happy,” she whispered, as she sat beside Neji, hours after she had calmed down enough to talk. “That dumbass. I was happy with_ him _.”_

_Neji remained characteristically quiet, but Tenten knew he was listening intently to every word she said. “I mean, granted, he could be difficult at times, and he says ‘troublesome’ too much, but he’s very caring, even if he doesn’t look like it, and he . . . he . . . oh Neji, how can I ever be happy now?”_

_Gentle hands found their way on hers, and when she looked up, she found Neji looking at her, his eyes filled with so much warmth and affection._

_“Aren’t you happy when you’re with me?”_

_A small, kind smile graced his lips, and despite her broken heart, Tenten felt a warm sensation spreading down her toes. Because Neji—her comrade, her best friend, her first love—was there with her in one of the lowest points of her life, and for once, he was not being the cold, unfeeling person that he usually is._

_“Yes,” she whispered, and slowly, she found herself mirroring his smile, “I think I am.”)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 11 preview:
> 
> Ten days after Tenten’s 21st birthday, Team Gai officially disbanded.  
> It was inevitable, they said.  
> And perhaps, it was.
> 
> ***
> 
> We reached 1,000 hits! Hooray! To celebrate, I'm thinking of uploading an old two-shot from my FFN days. Which one should I post?
> 
> A. NejiTen housemates/best friends/secret love modern AU (feat. Lee)  
> B. NejiTen mermaid AU (feat. Shino and Hinata)
> 
> Thank you for reading, everyone!


	11. Hyuuga Neji

_Ten days after Tenten’s 21st birthday, Team Gai officially disbanded._

_It was inevitable, they claimed._

_And perhaps, it was._

i.

When the announcement was made official, many civilians and shinobi alike were shocked from the news. They thought Team Gai was forever, that the bond they shared was enough to keep them together for a lifetime, even two.

_(The only ones who were not really surprised about the breakup were the members of Team Gai themselves.)_

ii.

“It suits you,” she said, a small smile on her lips. She was tempted to trace the spiral with the tip of her fingers, but feared that he would pull away. So she kept her distance, smiling her small smile, keeping all the things she wanted to tell him locked deep inside.

She was met with a pair of curious, questioning eyes.

“What? I’m not allowed to admire a good tattoo now?” she grinned, looking up at the clouds. Funny how Shikamaru’s habit of cloudgazing had rubbed on her, years after they called it quits. A faint knot in her stomach appeared, but she quickly quelled it with a chuckle.

She was answered with silence, but she didn’t exactly expect one anyway. For the moment, she was content—sitting on the riverbank, gazing at the clouds, with her best friend sitting silently beside her. She figured she might as well make the most of it; Neji was being called to his first mission as ANBU the following day.

“How long will you be gone?” she asked, eyes still on the clouds.

“You know I can’t tell.”

“I was just kidding,” Tenten laughed, her fingers playing with the soft grass beneath her palms. “Get me something nice from wherever you’re going, okay?”

They remained silent for a couple of minutes—Tenten gazing at the clouds, Neji watching the waters below.

Then, “A year from now, do you think we’ll still be friends?”

She could feel Neji’s eyes on her, eyes that have always made her lightheaded and safe, nervous and at home. She knew he was struggling to give her the most honest answer he could afford, because, in all truth, who can say what could happen in a year? In a month? In a week?

Fact was, she didn’t know, could not know. Neji, for sure, wouldn’t, either.

Finally, “I don’t know,” came Neji’s answer, and Tenten felt her eyes sting with unshed tears. But gentle fingers brushed her own, and when Tenten looked down, she saw that the tips of Neji’s index, middle, and ring fingers were reaching out to hers.

When she looked up, Tenten saw Neji giving her a heartwarming smile that nearly broke her heart in two.

“But given a choice, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

_(“ANBU, huh?” she grinned, as Lee and Gai pronounced loud “yosh!” somewhere to their right. The Hyuuga managed a glare, though Tenten knew he was trying very hard not to smile._

_“Well, everyone expected it, you know,” she shrugged, eyeing the patch on Neji’s right shoulder. She knew a tattoo was hidden there, freshly marked, after his appointment hours ago._

_It was supposed to be a secret—ANBU were not supposed to reveal their identities in public, but Neji told them anyway. It was his way of telling them he trusted them with his life, his way of saying “thank you” for sticking with him through the years._

_“Yosh!” Gai suddenly popped from behind Tenten’s shoulder, making the kunoichi yelp. “The time has finally come! Our Neji is now given responsibilities that will make him fight with the power of youth even more!”_

_“Yes, Gai-sensei!” Lee chirped in, dancing behind the byakugan user. “My eternal rival is definitely the best! I need to work triple hard to surpass him and make it to ANBU, too!”_

_“You can’t be ANBU, Lee,” Tenten said, exasperated, but with a twinkle in her eye. “ANBU needs stealth, which you obviously do not have.” She grinned. “Besides, if you really dream of becoming like Gai, you should handle your own genin team.” Years ago, she would never have dreamed of suggesting that, fearing for the sanity of Konoha’s future, but Tenten has finally realized that between them three, Lee was the one who could manage his own cell best._

_“My youthful flower!” Lee bounced toward her, enveloping her in a tight hug. “How wonderful of you to say something like that. You have made me so happy!”_

_Despite being crushed, Tenten managed to offer Lee a light pat in the back, and threw in a grin for good measure._

_“And what about you?” Lee asked, after he finally let her go. “What will you do?”_

_Tenten found it a little funny that nobody said it out in the open, the inevitable fact that Team Gai was slowly but surely breaking up. It wasn’t long in coming, she told herself—she knew sooner or later that Neji would make it to ANBU, that Lee would handle his own genin team, and that Gai will, well, continue being youthful in his own unique way._

_And what about her? What will she do? Without her boys, who will she be?_

_The thought sobered her up, so much that she didn’t realize what was happening until she saw Gai and Lee with their right arms outstretched, waiting for her to follow suit._

_“Ah,” she said, “what are we doing this for?”_

_“To celebrate the blossoming of our youth, of course!” Lee boomed, but Gai, apparently, was thinking of something different._

_“Friendship,” the older jounin answered, and three pairs of eyes blinked at him, all of them silently thanking their sensei for teaching them, training them, treating them as family._

_Gai suddenly grinned, teeth blinding them momentarily. “And the blossoming of youth, of course!”_

_And Tenten laughed, laughed heartily, and placed her hand above Lee’s, knowing that Neji would do the same._

_He did.)_

iii.

Two weeks after Neji’s first ANBU assignment, Tenten found him standing in front of her small apartment, mask still covering his face.

She knew it was him; no mask or any form of disguise would stop her from knowing otherwise.

“Neji?” she whispered, noticing the dried blood spattered on his uniform. On instinct, she wrapped her hand around his wrist, and pulled him inside, not minding the fact that he reeked of grime and sweat and the metallic scent of blood.

“When did you get back?” she asked, as she made him sit down her little couch. “What happened?”

The Hyuuga gave no answer, just sat there, back rigid, fists clenched on his knees.

Tenten felt her heart pounding madly in her chest, and before she could stop herself, she took hold of Neji’s mask, and gently pulled it off.

The Hyuuga’s eyes were closed, his forehead wrinkled with exhaustion. But what disturbed Tenten the most was the way Neji seemed so lost, so unsure of himself. She risked placing a hand on his shoulder, and realized that Neji, _the_ Hyuuga Neji, was trembling.

“Oh Neji,” she whispered, dropping the mask on the floor. She pulled him toward her, enveloping him in her embrace, willing him to be alright.

_(It took a long while before he finally was.)_

iv.

It became almost a ritual for them.

Tenten wasn’t always informed when Neji would be sent to missions; she was, after all, assigned to a lot of missions herself, either solo or with a partner—sometimes it was Lee, when he could be pulled away from his genin team, and sometimes it was Sai, a few times with Kiba or Ino, and once with Shikamaru (she thought it would be awkward, and for the first few minutes, it was, but they managed to be professional about it, and the mission turned out to be a success)—and when she wasn’t, she helped out in the weapons division, designing new weapons that were both efficient and inexpensive to make.

But Tenten always knew when he would come back. She’d find him outside her door, usually after she returned from the blacksmith’s shop, a special assignment from the Hokage, or the rare dinner with Lee (and Gai, by extension). He never entered her place without her, even when she had told him a hundred times to _just use the key under the pot! It’s there specifically so you won’t have to stand there like a block until I get back!_

She learned not to ask questions, because all of Neji’s missions were confidential, and far it be from her to make him break his oath. Instead, she treated his wounds if there were some, she served him dinner or tea, depending on the occasion, and she would regale him with stories about her day, her week, her month, as if to assure him that she was still the same, that they were still the same.

Neji usually kept quiet, but it was nothing unusual, so Tenten let him be.

She realized that more than her, Neji needed this, this sense of normalcy, the feeling of having something constant in his life, something he could hold on to.

Because Tenten realized, with much horror, during the first time Neji visited her after his first ANBU mission, that her best friend was very likely to lose his sanity if she didn’t do something about it.

_(“You won’t tell me what happened, will you?” she asked him, coaxing him out of his uniform. In her right hand she held a shirt, and she was trying to convince him that he needed to change._

_“You know I can’t,” Neji whispered. Tenten was grateful that at least he was talking now._

_“I know, I know,” she said, succeeding in yanking out the ANBU vest from him. “You’re not supposed to come here either,” she said, tossing Neji the shirt and turning around to get the tea. “Nobody’s supposed to know your identity, right?”_

_When she turned to face him again, she was glad to see that Neji had put the shirt on. “Not that I mind, okay?” she continued, handing her visitor his cup. Neji accepted it, holding in between his palms, while Tenten sat beside him, ever waiting._

_“Tenten?” The voice sounded so lost. Tenten had to stop herself from hugging him again._

_“What is it?” she whispered, and she again was reminded of how much she loved the man beside her, no matter who he was, no matter who he will become in the future._

_“Do you think I made the right decision? Becoming ANBU.”_

_Tenten had never heard him more unsure of himself, and her heart almost shattered into a million pieces because of it. She wanted to cry for him, because she knew he wouldn’t, couldn’t, do it himself. Instead, she answered his question in the most honest way she could, knowing it was the best way to help him._

_“I think,” she said, tentative at first, “I think being ANBU is a big responsibility, something that not all of us can do.” She paused, risking a glance at her silent companion. His eyes were closed, as if he was trying to memorize her every word. “You can either take that as a gift or as a curse . . . but you have to decide that on your own.”_

_She received a small smile in response, a slight tugging of the lips, upward, and Tenten felt she just said the right thing.)_

v.

Six months later, the former Team Gai finally managed to find time to go out and have dinner together.

Neji was on leave—the Hokage gave him a few weeks to recuperate after a long, dangerous mission, a mission that almost drove Tenten to the walls when she saw the extent of the damage he received. Gai just came back from a solo mission, Lee sent his genin team home early, and Tenten finished designing a new weapon that made the blacksmith so excited he let her clock out early for the day.

And so there they were, in their favorite restaurant, eating dinner, conversing like their last mission together wasn’t half a year ago. Tenten was glad that they remained friends, even when they did not see each other much anymore, and that they could still talk casually to each other. Even Neji was his usual stoic self, the kind of stoicism he reserved just for his teammates.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Lee asked, “Are you two finally together?”

As Tenten felt the blood rise to her face, she felt Neji froze beside her. More than Lee’s actual question, Tenten was surprised with his phrasing of words, as if he actually expected that she and Neji would be together at one point.

“Lee!” she shrieked, her face the color of a ripe tomato. “What the hell!”

Lee blinked innocent eyes at them. “You mean you’re not?” Tenten did not fail to notice that he was directing the question more to Neji than to her. Swiftly turning to her companion, she found Neji with his eyes closed, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gai trying to hold back his laughter.

“Am I missing something here?” she choked, wondering if she had just become the butt of a cruel, cruel joke.

“You mean you haven’t told her?” Lee pressed on, and Tenten watched as Neji’s forehead creased all the more.

“Shut up, Lee,” the Hyuuga finally said.

“But . . . “ Lee was about to continue, but Gai had already had a hand on his shoulder.

“Do you want some ice cream, Lee?”

Round eyes became rounder, and before Tenten could even begin to comprehend what was happening, Gai and Lee had already left the table, with the excuse of buying ice drops for all of them.

“What was that about?” Tenten huffed as she watched the two Konoha Green Beasts scamper away. To her surprise, she felt a warm hand on her own, and when she turned, she found Neji smiling, _really_ smiling, at her.

“Ah,” she managed to whisper, and realized she couldn’t breathe.

_(When Gai and Lee returned to their table with their promised ice drops, they found Neji, alone, with Tenten nowhere in sight._

_Booming in righteous indignation, they ganged up on him and tried to wring his neck, shouting_ what did you say to our precious flower?, _when Tenten suddenly popped from behind, eyebrow raised, wondering why the Hyuuga was trying to hold off two hyperactive taijutsu masters with his bare hands, five minutes after she slipped into the ladies’ room.)_

vi.

“Off to another mission?” she asked, when she found him standing in front of her apartment at four in the morning, five days before her 22nd birthday.

She was still asleep when he came knocking. She had half a mind not to answer the door, except that she knew it would be him; very few people were brave enough to venture to her side of town in the wee hours of the morning.

“You know I can’t tell,” was his answer.

She stifled a yawn, rolled her eyes and planted both hands on her hips. “Right,” she muttered. “Then why the bloody hell are you here so early?” She pushed her door open to let him in, and headed to her kitchen. She heard him come in after her and close the door, and within minutes, she had two steaming cups of tea ready for them both.

“What time are you leaving?” she whispered, after they have both settled down in her couch.

“Eight.”

“Ah.”

They sipped the tea in silence for a few minutes, then, “How long?”

“I don’t know.”

She sighed. “You won’t be here for my birthday, will you?”

Silence.

She sighed again, placed her cup on the small table in front. Neji followed suit. “ _What_ are you doing here, Neji?”

Silence once more. Finally, “You never gave an answer.”

It took her a while before she realized what he was referring to. When she did, she found herself smiling softly, and she fought the urge to hold Neji’s hand and tell him not to leave, to quit ANBU and come back to them, to her.

But she could never do that. ANBU was Neji’s dream, and she was not about to take that away from him.

Instead, she answered, “You never asked a question.”

_(He didn’t, not directly._

_But Neji wasn’t the type to be direct with those kinds of things anyway.)_

vii.

The day of her birthday came and went, and minutes before it ended, Tenten found herself standing in their old training ground, watching the stars twinkle in the night sky. She had left the restaurant a few hours ago, after spending the better part of the evening with Lee, Gai, and a couple of other friends.

Her original plan was to head home, but her feet brought her to the clearing, and slowly, lovingly, she let her eyes wander through the worn-out target boards she used for practice, the poles Lee kicked during training, the trees Neji leaned on during short breaks. She didn’t really plan on reminiscing, but reminisce she did, because she realized, a year after Team Gai disbanded, that she missed them so much it literally hurt sometimes.

All of a sudden, Tenten heard the crunching of dried leaves behind her. Suddenly, she _knew._

“You’re back.”

The footsteps came nearer, and Tenten felt that, just like in the restaurant back then, she couldn’t breathe.

“I am.”

And she turned around, and there stood Neji, not in his ANBU uniform, but in his usual attire—white shirt with loose sleeves, matching white pants, and he looked every bit of a Hyuuga and not a special ops assassin.

“Hey,” she whispered, trying her very best not to smile.

“I got you something,” Neji whispered back, stepping closer and producing a small box from his pocket.

Tenten blinked. “What—”

“Don’t worry, it’s not a ring,” Neji assured her, as if sensing Tenten’s apprehension.

Face flushing red all of a sudden, Tenten chuckled nervously. “Never said it was a ring.” She managed to grin, but her heart suddenly plummeted to her stomach. “Well, are you going to give it to me?”

“Depends,” Neji answered, cracking a small smile. “Do you want it?” _Do you want me?_

An unspoken question, but she heard it nonetheless. It was as close to Neji ever confessing anything, and she guessed she should expect nothing more.

“Yes.”

_(It was a ring.)_

viii.

“It suits you,” she said, a small smile on her lips. She was tempted to trace the spiral with the tip of her fingers, and this time, she did. Neji shivered slightly at the contact, but Tenten knew it was of the good kind.

When she turned to him, she was met with a pair of curious, questioning eyes.

“What? I’m not allowed to admire a good tattoo now?” Tenten grinned, looking up at the clouds. Cloudgazing still reminded her of Shikamaru, but the knot in her stomach no longer made her queasy.

She was answered with silence, but she didn’t exactly expect one anyway. For the moment, she was content—sitting on the riverbank, gazing at the clouds, with Neji sitting silently beside her.

Then, “A year from now, do you think we’ll still be like this?”

She could feel Neji’s eyes on her, eyes that have always made her lightheaded and safe, nervous and at home. She knew he was struggling to give her the most honest answer he could afford, because, in all truth, who can say what could happen in a year? In a month? In a week?

Fact was, she didn’t know, could not know. Neji, for sure, wouldn’t, either.

Finally, “I don’t know,” came Neji’s answer, but Tenten no longer felt her eyes sting with unshed tears. Because gentle fingers brushed her own, and when Tenten looked down, she saw that Neji’s hand completely covered her own, the ring he gave her nestled between them.

When she looked up, Tenten saw Neji giving her a heartwarming smile that made her heart soar.

“But given a choice, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

_(“Ah,” she managed to whisper, and realized she couldn’t breathe. Then, “Why are you smiling like that?”_

_“Lee could never keep a secret for long,” Neji answered, his hand still on Tenten’s. “Not that I’m surprised.”_

_“Secret? What secret?” She was nearly hysterical, and Neji’s warm hand on hers wasn’t helping things. “Damn it, Neji, quit smiling like that and tell me what’s going on!”_

_The smile never left Neji’s lips. “I’ve been thinking.”_

_“Thinking of what?”_

_“Of quitting ANBU.”_

_Tenten blinked. “But . . . why? ANBU is your dream!”_

_Neji’s hold on Tenten became all the tighter. “It was.” A pause. “But I have a new dream now.”_

_The fuzzy wuzzy bunnies, which have disappeared for the longest time that Tenten thought they were gone for good, came back full force, and they tumbled and did cartwheels in her chest and stomach._

_“And?”_

_Neji smiled, a smile that said so many things at once, so much that Tenten thought her heart would burst with joy._

_“It includes you.”)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue preview:
> 
> She doesn’t expect a happy ending with him.  
> That doesn’t make her love him any less.  
> She doesn’t stop loving him, period.


	12. Epilogue

_She doesn’t expect a happy ending with him._

_That doesn’t make her love him any less._

_She doesn’t stop loving him, period._

i.

“Ready?”

Maito Gai, her father figure, offered his arm, and she grabbed his hand instead, hoping to borrow some of his strength.

Breathless, she whispered, “Yes.”

_(It was a small ceremony, because she was not a Hyuuga, nor did she come from a well-known clan, or any clan, for that matter, and not everyone was happy for them.)_

ii.

She told Lee that it didn’t matter, _who needs an extravagant wedding anyway?_

She patted Hinata’s shoulder when the younger woman tried to apologize for the behavior of some of her clan members, _don’t be silly, you haven’t done anything wrong!_

She waved off Sakura and Ino’s offer to pool in their money (and those of the other members of the Konoha 11—without prior consent, of course) so that they can at least rent a decent chapel, because _I’m not really religious anyway, and isn’t a wedding in the middle of the forest more fun?_

_(She doesn’t tell them, or Neji, that she’s a little sad, a little disappointed, a little hurt about the Hyuuga’s rejection of her relationship with their prodigy._

_Neji noticed anyway.)_

iii.

“What do you think of this?”

She looked up from her scroll to find her fiancé showing her an ad in the papers—a small apartment for rent, located at the other side of the village, the farthest from the Hyuuga compound.

She frowned. “Aren’t you required to stay within the Hyuuga premises even after you’re married?”

“I am,” Neji answered, “but let me worry about that.”

“Neji.” A little annoyed, she narrowed her eyes. “Are you trying to hide me from your relatives? Because if you’re ashamed of marrying me then I . . .”

“Tenten.” 

Tenten’s words died in her throat when Neji suddenly frowned _._ Not his usual forehead crease or the slight downward tug of his lip, but a real, full-blown frown. 

“Don’t you ever think for a moment that I am ashamed of you.”

“Ah,” Tenten whispered, unsure how to answer. What was the correct reply to something like that? Thank you? I know? You’re so sweet I want to shower you with hugs and kisses this very moment?

Before she could even think of a better response, Neji was already waving the ad in her face. “So,” he tried once again, no trace of the frown evident on his handsome face, “what do you think of this?”

_(“It’s perfect,” she answered, half an hour later, after she had thrown a dozen senbons, a score of kunai, and one scythe at the ad, which Neji had pinned against her favorite target board._

_“Good,” he replied from where he was seated, cross-legged, on his usual spot. He then produced a small sheet of paper from underneath his clothes. “I already signed the deed of lease this morning.”_

_She threw the next kunai one centimeter from his left ear, too near for comfort._

_When Neji cracked a small smile, Tenten threw the next kunai one centimeter from his_ crotch. _Neji stopped smiling then.)_

iv.

“Aw come on!” she muttered as her fiancé _sulked_ as he walked her home. “I was only kidding! Wouldn’t want to endanger the future of the little Hyuuga Nejis of the world, right?”

Neji shot her a glare so cold it reminded Tenten of their genin days.

“What? Don’t you trust my aim?”

“Let me remind you,” Neji answered, “that should I be castrated, you will be subjected to a life of frustration, what-ifs, and missed opportunities.” A pause. “In short, you will be missing out a lot.”

It was as far as Neji would go in terms of suggestive banter, and he finished it off by linking his fingers with her. Tenten blushed beet red, and proceeded to throw a barrage of different weapons at him.

_(Suffice to say that the future of little Hyuuga Nejis is still bright and positively youthful to date.)_

v.

She got her something old from Neji—his mother’s old hair clips, which miraculously survived decades of unuse, stored away in one of the boxes in Neji’s room, forgotten until they were remembered.

Something borrowed came from Ino, Sakura, and Hinata—a simple yet elegant cream dress that Ino owned, and the three kunoichi altered and transformed into a wonderful wedding gown.

Shikamaru gave her something blue—a pair of sapphire earrings, and one last embrace, one last breath of regret for letting her go, and _you better be happy, or I don’t know why I bothered going through all that troublesome process of breaking up with you._

Her something new was a gift from Gai and Lee—a silver necklace with a rose for a pendant, to remind her that she will always be their beautiful, youthful flower, no matter how inappropriate Neji acts toward her during their honeymoon. 

_(Neji jyuukenned them as a thank you.)_

vi.

“Do you regret it?” she asked him, one particular evening when he came home from a clan meeting, tired and sullen and obviously not pleased with the topic, probably about his less-than-ideal union with a kunoichi who didn’t even have a last name. 

Neji regarded her with cool gray eyes, but said nothing.

She smiled cheekily, pouring him some tea. “It’s okay, you know,” she continued, sitting on the chair opposite him, drumming her fingers on the kitchen table. “You’d think six months and they’d learn to forgive, but no.” Resting her chin against her left palm, she whispered, “I’m sorry I don’t have a surname. It would have been so much easier if I were a Yamanaka or Haruno or from some important clan.”

Five steps, and Neji was behind her, his chin on her shoulder, his nose against her neck. “You have a surname,” he whispered, as Tenten closed her eyes, willing the tears to go away. “You’re a Hyuuga now. Don’t forget that.”

_(Sometimes she wished Neji wasn’t a Hyuuga._

_Maybe things would have been easier for them then.)_

vii.

They made do with what they have, though she sometimes worried that Neji wasn’t as comfortable as he was, back when he was in his clan’s compound. She was used to hardships—she lived most of her life alone, so she knew how to adjust, how to tighten her belt when missions came few and between, how to splurge when she was given the luxury to do so. 

Neji grew up in relative comfort, and she feared that he’d get tired of poverty one day and just _leave_ her.

As if reading her mind—a talent he had honed over the years they’ve spent together as teammates, then friends, then something more—he told her one day, as she was bent over their small study table, trying to figure out how to budget their meager earnings for the next month, that he never really liked living too luxuriously anyway.

She dropped the bills she was holding, stood up, and wrapped her arms around him.

“Thank you,” she whispered in his hair, silently thanking her lucky stars that she married a talented shinobi and a wonderful man.

“No,” Neji murmured back, returning her embrace, “ _thank you._ ”

_(“And I want a son soon,” he finished, only half-joking, as he suddenly picked her up and carried her bridal style to their little bedroom._

_She managed a small squeak before Neji captured her lips with him, effectively shutting off any objections.)_

viii.

“I don’t want a happy ending with you,” she told him, as she traced the curse seal on his forehead, the first night they spent together as husband and wife.

Neji showed the first signs of confusion, but she quickly quelled it with a light peck on the lips and a charming smile.

“I don’t want us to end.”

_(“Do you, Hyuuga Neji, accept Tenten to be your lawful wedded wife?”_

_“I do.”_

_Tenten felt her heart jump to her throat, still not completely believing that someone as wonderful as Neji was marrying her. It was too much, the feeling of being loved, enough that he’d defy his clan’s tradition of marrying a fellow Hyuuga, enough that he’d go through all the trouble of finding the perfect home for them, enough that he’d stand beside her that very moment, promising his eternal devotion to her, to them._

_“And do you, Tenten, accept Hyuuga Neji to be your lawful wedded husband?”_

_She glanced at Neji, and saw that he was looking at her, gray eyes filled with so much love, so much that she thought her heart would burst._

_“Tenten?” Neji whispered, alarmed, when she failed to answer the Godaime’s question._

_Tenten lifted her left hand to cup Neji’s cheek. Tears started to fall down her cheeks, and, with the most beautiful smile forming in her lips, she answered._

_“I do.”)_

ix.

She doesn’t expect a happy ending with him.

_(She doesn’t want one._

_She just wants to be with him for as long as she could, that’s all.)_

x.

Contrary to popular belief, Hyuuga Neji was, in fact, not Tenten's first crush.

_(But it doesn’t matter, because he became so much more than that to her anyway.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hidden chapter preview:
> 
> Like most girls, Tenten had a period of fangirling, so to speak.  
> Her obsession came in a package of gray hair, lazy eyes, and a dark blue mask.  
> Oh, and an obsession for Icha Icha Paradise.
> 
> ***
> 
> Posted this a week early as my Valentine's gift to everyone. Thank you for reading this series!


	13. Hatake Kakashi

**Hidden Chapter: Hatake Kakashi**

_Like most girls, Tenten had a period of fangirling, so to speak._

_Her obsession came in a package of gray hair, lazy eyes, and a dark blue mask._

_Oh, and an obsession for Icha Icha Paradise._

i.

It all started during the Gaara Rescue Mission.

_(She was impressed with his Mangekyou Sharingan._

_And his leadership skills._

_And his tolerance for Maito Gai._

Especially _his tolerance for Maito Gai.)_

ii.

She only told one person about it.

 _(Said person looked at her incredulously, wailed, and called her a traitor,_ how could you do that to Gai-sensei?!

_Said person’s teammate and eternal rival, who heard the conversation by accident, was amused. That didn’t necessarily mean he was all too happy about it._

_Said person’s sensei, who heard the conversation before he even reached the clearing—Lee’s wails were loud enough to disturb the squirrels in the immediate area—burst out crying, pumped his fist, and mourned the fact that the tally was now 51 to 50, in Kakashi’s favor.)_

iii.

She was on her way to Team Gai’s training grounds when she spotted Kakashi in Team Seven’s spot, practicing a jutsu she was not familiar with. Mystified—and entranced—she was rooted on the spot, her eyes fixed on the jounin doing multiple hand seals amid a swirling cacophony of leaves and dust.

Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto found her on the same spot ten minutes later.

“Tenten-san?”

“Oh, hey, Sakura, Naruto.”

“What are you doing here?” Sakura asked. “Isn’t Team Gai’s training ground a bit farther into the forest?”

“Aha!” Naruto suddenly yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Tenten. “You’re a spy! You’re spying on us so you can report to your team later!”

Sakura hit the Kyuubi vessel on the head with her knuckle.

Tenten chuckled. “Don’t worry,” she said, her eyes still glued to Kakashi, who was now balancing upside down, supported only by his left arm. “I didn’t come here to spy. My teammates won’t appreciate that anyway, stubborn lot that they are.”

“Then why are you here?”

And because Tenten was not educated in the proper way of fangirling (and stalking), she answered Sakura’s question as honestly as she could. “I’m watching Kakashi-san train. He sure is something, isn’t he?” And, as an afterthought, “I wonder how he looks under that mask. I’m guessing he’ll be pretty handsome.”

_(Only when she realized she did not receive an answer did she turn to her companions, and found them staring at her with a dumbfounded expression on their faces.)_

iv.

Their interactions have been few and in between, but Tenten cherished each one of them. After all, Kakashi proved to be a very intelligent person, and a good conversationalist, too.

There was just a pet peeve she had—his fixation on the _Icha Icha Paradise_ series.

_(“What is that book you’re always reading?” she asked him, suddenly popping from behind and peering over the little tome. Kakashi made no move to push her away. Taking it as a silent invitation, Tenten went ahead and read a few lines from the page he was currently on._

_She finally understood what she was reading two paragraphs later. A bright crimson swept over her face, and on instinct, she grabbed the book and threw it far, far away._

_Half a second later, a kunai zipped in the air, struck the book in the middle, splitting the pages into bits and pieces._

_“Ah!” Kakashi blurted out, arm outstretched in shock, as if willing his book to return. “Tenten! That was my_ favorite _in the series!”_

_“You’re disgusting!” the kunoichi screeched, watching as the poor volume, or what was left of it, dropped down the ground, its pages scattering with the wind._

_“B-but,” Kakashi mourned the loss of his book. “I was just getting to the good part!”_

_“Good part my ass!” Tenten yelled, before she realized how wrong her last sentence sounded. It didn’t help that Kakashi appeared to be smirking underneath his mask._

_Her blush increased a thousandfold._

_“Perv!” the kunoichi screamed, throwing a dozen kunai and senbons—and a single battle axe—at the now-fleeing jounin.)_

v.

“Kakashi-san?”

The ex-Anbu lifted his head from his book and regarded Tenten with lazy eyes. “Yo, Tenten. How are you?” Tenten did not fail to notice how the little book suddenly disappeared from view.

The kunoichi fought the urge to blush. She saw him sitting on a tree branch just outside the Academy, and on impulse, she stopped right below him and called out his name.

“Uhm, I have a question for you.”

It was a question that she had wanted to ask him for several weeks now, but could never find the courage to do so. But now that the opportunity was there, why not go ahead and grab it?

“Oh?” Kakashi asked. “Well, come on up here then.”

“Okay,” Tenten beamed, and then hopped up the branch and sat beside the jounin.

“What do you want to ask?”

“Well,” Tenten began, thinking of a proper way to say it, “why do you have the sharingan?” Kakashi’s face clouded a little, and Tenten feared she just said something offensive. “I’m sorry!” she stammered. “If it’s supposed to be a secret, then . . .”

“It was a gift,” Kakashi suddenly replied, visible eye smiling sadly, “from a friend.”

_(That afternoon, all three boys of Team Gai noticed Tenten’s somber mood._

_“What’s wrong, Tenten?” Lee asked, as he finished his seventy-fifth pushup. “Are you hurt somewhere?”_

_Tenten blinked. “Oh, no.”_

_“Then why do you look so sad?”_

_“Sad?” The kunoichi frowned. Did she look sad?_

_She turned to her sparring partner, and realized that he was examining her with silent, questioning eyes. Even Gai, who had arrived a few seconds earlier, noticed it._

_“Is something bothering you, Tenten?” Gai asked, concern in his voice._

_“No. It’s just that . . . I’m thinking of something.”_

_The three boys shot her with confused looks, but Tenten zoned out again. Truth be told, she was thinking about Kakashi’s story—of him and Obito and sweet little Rin. Or, to be more specific about it, she wondered how her team would fare out if they were forced in a similar situation. She was no medic nin and therefore cannot perform an eye operation on the spot like Rin did, and she could not imagine Neji telling her to transfer his byakugan to Lee anyway. That, and Lee would probably have no idea how to use the eye if he ever got it._

_“Tenten.”_

_It was Neji this time. “W-what?”_

_“No matter what bothering you,” he slowly said, positioning himself in a meditation pose beneath Tenten’s favorite target board, “just do what you always do best. Throw kunai at the board,” he said, pointing at the panel above his head, “and you’re sure to feel better afterward.”_

_Tenten nodded, summoned a kunai, and threw it at the board. The weapon hit the bull’s eye, as expected. Only then did she realize that her spirits were indeed lifted, even for just a little bit._

_She found that the Hyuuga had closed his eyes, already starting with his daily meditation. It still flattered her to no end that Neji could be so at ease with her throwing sharp, pointy stuff above his head. Like he trusted her with his life. Literally._

_“Thanks, Neji.”)_

vi.

Somewhere along the way, her obsession with Kakashi mellowed down to a fond admiration, coupled with a little bit of pseudo-sibling companionship.

_(“I think I might have had a little fangirl crush on you before,” she confessed, as they walked side by side after one of their easier missions. The rest of their team—Gai and Lee and Sai—were walking behind them, apparently having a serious discussion on their own. It appeared as if the two Team Gai members were telling Sai the benefits of wearing the green spandex. The ex-Root seemed almost convinced._

_Kakashi regarded her with an eye filled with humor. “Oh?” he chuckled. “Never pegged you as fangirl material.”_

_Tenten laughed along with him. “I don’t think I have the knack for it. I don’t squeal, I don’t stalk, and I don’t try to steal your personal belongings for my shrine.”_

_Kakashi guffawed._

_Tenten grinned. “Well, it’s better this way, right?”_

_Kakashi shrugged. “I wouldn’t have minded, you know,” he answered in a low whisper. “I can even lend you some of the books from my collection, if you ask me nicely.”_

_It took Tenten a couple of seconds before she realized the joke, and when she did, Kakashi had already sprinted away, just in time to avoid the barrage of kunai she sent flying toward him._

vii.

In the end, she realized she _did_ like it better that way.

 _(She even had the license to hide his stash of_ Icha Icha Paradise _from time to time.)_

**Author's Note:**

> Visit [KP's Corner](https://twitter.com/thelittlebugi/) for more of my plot bunnies and drabbles.


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